


Big Brother's a Prince!

by Pansychic27213



Series: Fanfic Transfers (2015 Edition) [19]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Cute, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Loki (Marvel), Loki gets turned into a kiddo, Odin (Marvel)'s A+ Parenting, Old fic transfer from Fanfiction.net, Parent Tony Stark, de-aged loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 11:38:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 31,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18072731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pansychic27213/pseuds/Pansychic27213
Summary: A miserable Loki gives into temptation, casts a spell, and shows up on the Avengers doorstep. Tony wasn't ready to be a dad just yet, but it looks like he doesn't have much of a choice!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally Published: 01/19/2015

**Big Brother's a Prince!**

 

-{[(•)]}-

 

The dark haired man stared sadly at the book on Norse mythology. Next to the book were assorted photographs and files, containing various bits of information on several people and gods. There was a cup of tea on the corner of the table, and a book of spells rested on the couch.

 

The green eyed man sighed and stood. He missed the day when he felt even a little bit loved; now, he just felt lonely and depressed. He missed the days when he could run to someone, and they would accept him with open arms.

 

The man gathered the books and files and organized them in a neat stack. He moved to the kitchen and quietly rinsed out his cup. After setting it in the sink, he returned to the living room.

 

The spell book was open again.

 

It was taunting him, it really was. Without looking he could tell you exactly what page the book was open to and exactly which spell it contained. The stupid book had been trying to convince him for a while.

 

The only problem was that if he cast the spell, there might not be someone who would be able to reverse it.

 

The male sighed wearily and ran his hand through his hair. All he had to do was cast the spell and all of this worrying and hurt could be over. Just one little spell could fix all of his problems.

 

For a while at least.

 

He formed a steeple with his hands and stared down at the spell book for a long while.

 

Decided, he put the mythology book away and began to prepare for the aftermath of what was to come. He scribbled out a letter, muttering the spell under his breath all the while.

 

Bright white filled the house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm warning people now - this story is not accurate to Norse mythology. I originally wrote this because I was being chased down by a plot bunny, and I wanted more kid!Loki fics. I've gotten an earful a couple times about not being accurate to Norse mythology.

Tony was getting tired of letting the Avengers stay at his place. They ate his food, interrupted his work, and never cleaned up after themselves. He was considering kicking them out. Or hiring a maid service.

 

Hmmmmm...

 

Maybe a maid service would be best.

 

Tony resisted shouting at whoever it was when he heard a familiar crash from the kitchen. Another crash came from the living room. The brunette growled and started to storm to his upstairs lab. Unfortunately, the doorbell decided to ring at that time.

 

"JARVIS!" The inventor shouted. "Who is it?" He began the short trek to the door. The computerized voice remained silent. Tony paused. "JARVIS?" The automatic voice stuttered to life.

 

"Terribly sorry, sir. I don't... recognize him... But the secretary let him up, sir." Iron Man frowned, approached the door, and opened it anyway. No one was there.

 

"U-ummm..." A small voice called. Tony glanced down. A small boy, maybe six or seven, was standing on his 'doorstep' (which was really just the area in front of the private elevator...) in a surprisingly familiar suit.

 

"Who are you?" Tony demanded and felt his eyebrow twitching. Why was this little kid here? What did he want? Why was he in a suit? "Are you selling Girl Scout cookies?" The boy looked confused.

 

"I am looking for my big brother, and I was sent here to deliver some letters," he answered and blinked his bright green eyes. "Oh! You are Mr.Stark!" The boy reached into his green backpack and removed an envelope. He handed it to the man, who stared in curiosity at his name written in curly cursive penmanship.

 

Tony opened the envelope and began to read the contents of the letter. He quietly questioned the suited boy as he read, and the dark haired child answered to the best of his ability. The man's eyes widened in shock. He quickly grabbed the boy's arm and dragged him inside.

 

"JARVIS! Tell everyone to meet in the living room!"

 

-{[(•)]}-

 

The newly identified child sat in a chair at the front of the room, sipping a juice box and swinging his legs. Bruce Banner (AKA The Hulk) sat on a couch at the other end of the room and looked distinctly uncomfortable. Tony was standing by the fireplace. Natasha Romanof (AKA Black Widow) and Clint Barton (AKA Hawkeye) sat on the couch at the kid's left. Steve Rogers (AKA Captain America) was leaning against the window sill across the room. The Avengers were mostly assembled, just waiting for Thor to arrive.

 

"Where's my big brother?" The green eyed boy asked innocently. His suit jacket hung over the back of his chair, and the files and documents from his backpack were scattered across the table.

 

The redheaded woman smiled and sweetly replied, "He'll be here soon."

 

Bruce frowned. "So it is him."

 

Tony sighed and nodded. Just then, the door slammed against the wall and a familiar blonde stormed in, fully dressed in armor and carrying his hammer.

 

"Man of Iron, what is happening? Why have you called me?" He requested loudly. A juice box clattered to the floor, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Thor's blue eyes landed on the small boy and widened with recognition.

 

The boy had midnight black hair that fell in neat layers around his ears, and his eyes were a gorgeous emerald green. He wore a suit with black pants, a white button-up shirt, a dark green vest, and a gold tie. Currently, the boy was wide eyed and trembling at the sight of the larger blonde god. He gulped quietly.

 

"B-big brother got... b-bigger," he managed. Storm clouds formed beyond the window.

 

"What mockery is this?" Thor barked. The only female in the room stood to take a defensive position.

 

"If you'll just read-"

 

"I will not read! You!" He shouted, pointed to the boy -who squeaked in fright-, and furiously approached. "Explain at once!" The boy slipped out of the chair and darted behind it.

 

"I-I am sorry!" He whimpered. "I-I do not know what I d-did-" Thor cut him off.

 

"How old are you? What do you remember?" Green eyes skittered around the room nervously. He backed away quietly, breaths coming out short and quick.

 

"I-I d-do not-" he gasped weakly. Thor stepped forward and leaned into the child's face. Natasha and Steve stepped forward as a warning to the angry thunderer.

 

"Do not deceive me, brother," the blue eyed man mumbled. "I do not know if my heart could handle more lies."

 

"B-brother," the dark haired boy muttered softly and gently touched Thor's face, cupping one of his cheeks and tucking some golden hair behind his ear. He sighed, seeming to resign himself to his fate, and finally admitted in a scared whisper, "I am seven years of age. Last night, father punished me for interrupting his meeting with the warriors when I tried to show him my new trick." He cupped his hands in front of him, face scrunched up in concentration. Slowly, a glowing golden flower appeared floating just above his little hands. The boy gasped for breath and released the spell he had been trying to hold. Blue eyes widened in remembrance. "You let me fall asleep in your room because I needed someone to help me with the bandages." Now, the rest of the Avengers' eyes were wide. Natasha especially looked as though something inside of her snapped, whether anger or pity one could not tell for certain. "But when I woke up, I was on Midgard. There was a letter for me and each of you, and there were files to help me find you. All I really know is that I'm supposed to apologize to all of you."

 

"Give me my letter," the blonde man ordered quietly with his head bowed, a gentle hand resting on the boy's trembling shoulder. Clint stepped forward and offered the requested envelope. "You have already read yours, yes?"

 

"Yeah, we read them," Tony responded for the group. Thor opened the envelope and carefully read through it.

 

Everyone in the room held their breath.

 

When he reached the end, the blonde man let the papers fall to the ground and pulled his younger brother into a tight embrace. "It's okay, Loki. Everything will be okay, now."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: What's your favorite flavor of juice? Do you like juice? Do you prefer something else?


	3. Chapter 3

After a few minutes, the seven year old was sent from the room. The Avengers stood around in silence, unsure of what to say or do. Tony glanced around for a long moment.

 

"What do you think of it?" Steve sighed. "I mean, I know he's a criminal and all, but his letters explained that, for now at least, he is completely a child. We all saw him. He couldn't even use magic very well."

 

"He's a criminal," Clint stated firmly. "There's nothing else to say. He killed people. He toyed with us."

 

"I don't know," Bruce sighed. "The 'other guy' still isn't fond of him at the moment, but I personally don't mind all that much. I mean, didn't someone say the Chitauri were forcing him to do it?"

 

"We can't know that for certain," Natasha declared. "So he's got a bad record... 'Little' Loki didn't do that stuff. The kid outside that door is innocent. He doesn't even know what's happened."

 

"This could be a chance to give him the childhood he never had," Thor beamed, though there was bitterness in his smile. "When Loki interrupted my coronation, he proved to me how unworthy I was of the throne at the time. Then he was pressured into being king, and I believe he snapped under years of mistreatment."

 

"Mistreatment?" Steve questioned.

 

"My younger brother was bullied a lot as a child for his interests and lacking in physical ability," the blonde god admitted.

 

"Did your parents do anything about it?" Natasha asked. Thor shook his head.

 

Another long silence reigned.

 

"So... Who's going to take care of him?" Tony questioned. Thor sighed wearily and raised his hand.

 

"He is my brother. I will take him in."

 

"And what, take him back to Asgard with you?" Natasha demanded. "Because as receptive as I'm  _sure_  your people are going to be, your dad's definitely not going to miss this opportunity! And haven't you stopped to consider that right now, he's at his weakest? If any of his other enemies find out, he's a goner." Bruce politely raised his hand.

 

"Umm, can't we just take him back to SHIELD? He's still technically a wanted criminal, and he'll be safer there-" Steve frowned and interrupted, but he still tried to be as nice about it as possible.

 

"As much as I agree with you on that, big guy, I'm not sure if it's right to turn him in. Doesn't anyone else remember the handcuffs and gag from last time? How do we know they won't put them on him again? Or worse?" The first Avenger seemed particularly disturbed by the mental image of the seven year old in a cell. "Besides, he's clearly forgotten what's happened, and the damage has been repaired... What SHIELD mostly wants now is to take him in so they can make sure he can't do it again."

 

Clint scoffed. "He still needs to pay for what he's done, brat or not. Just because he turns himself into a kid doesn't mean he gets immunity." Natasha and Tony sighed quietly when Thor decided to add his input.

 

"While that is true, my friend, Loki does not remember any of it. How can we punish him now? He doesn't even know what he's done. What would be the point of bringing him to SHIELD? We should-"

 

"But he's still a criminal, and-"

 

"We can't lock up an innocent child!"

 

"Fury's gonna find out eventually anyway, so-"

 

"Alright! Alright!" Tony shouted, holding up his hands and stepping between the forming sides. "We get it! We've all got great points to make, and we don't know what to do. Had anyone thought of asking Loki? Maybe he doesn't want anything to do with any of us."

 

"Okay," Steve nodded. "Let's hold off on any decisions until we talk to him. If it comes down to it, we can always hide this from SHIELD for a few days until we make our choice, and we need to consider what's in everyone's best interests." The assembled group nodded. Thor opened the door, leaned into the hallway, and called for his much younger brother. The tiny boy looked up from his animated conversation with Ms.Pepper with bright, sparkling eyes. Obediently, he leapt down from his seat and ran towards the blonde. The small, soft hand slipped into the large, war-battered one without hesitation.

 

"What did they say?" He asked curiously as Thor blinked at their hands. He gulped and forced himself to meet his brother's hopeful eyes.

 

"That's why I called you. We wanted your opinion," the man stated in a subdued voice. He turned to lead the boy back into the room, but the child was suddenly rooted to the spot.

 

"M-my opinion?" He stammered. "B-but I thought I was in trouble. And f-father does not let me choose. W-why does it matter?" Thor sighed and stared down at him sadly.

 

"You are in trouble," he replied, to which Loki flinched. "That's why we want your opinion. There are people in that room that care about you."  _In a way..._  Green eyes widened in shock. "They want what's best for you, and they want you to be happy."

 

"I-I... B-but I don't know-" Loki tried to protest, but his older brother cut him off.

 

"They know you," he declared. "Those letters made sure they know you. So please, do not be afraid." The boy blinked, wiped his eyes, and nodded. Thor gave his warmest smile and led him into the room, the entire exchange seen by the others because they were only just beyond the doorframe.

 

"Hey there," Natasha greeted Loki with a little wave. She knelt down to his eye level. "So," her eyes flickered up to Thor's for a moment. "Right now, you can't go back to Asgard. We need you to stay with one of us for a little while so we can figure this out. There's a safe place you can go, but I doubt they'll be very nice to you... You could stay with your brother, but I don't know where you'll both live-"

 

"I am sure Lady Jane will not mind-" Thor started to offer, to which Loki was highly confused.

 

"We're not involving civilians," several voices countered immediately. The blonde god just huffed. The redheaded woman rolled her brown eyes and brought the attention back to their current situation.

 

"You could also stay with another one of us-" a few weak protests "-but I can't say we'll always be home, and it won't be the safest option for you."

 

"Wait," Bruce suddenly said. "He doesn't really know us; he said so himself. He's only read files on us. How's he supposed to pick where he wants to stay?" Everyone stared at the child for a long moment.

 

"I like all of you," Loki murmured quietly.

 

"For Pete's sake!" Tony erupted. "Loki can just stay with me! All of you come over enough that someone can always keep an eye on him. We've got Pepper in case I turn out to be horrible with kids, this place is practically a fortress, and SHIELD doesn't check in here all that often. Natasha, Clint, you practically live at headquarters anyway, so he can't stay with either of you. Bruce, you  and him didn't leave off on the best terms. We've already eliminated Thor, and Cap', I hate to say it, but I honestly don't know if he'll be safe with you. So that just leaves me. Whadda'ya say, Loki?"

 

Everyone stared at the man as he breathed heavily to regain his composure. Loki stared up at him with wide eyes. Almost out of the blue, a smile appeared on his face, and he gave a happy, affirmative nod. The group sighed with relief. A bit shyly, the boy stepped forward and took Tony's much larger hand. The brunette stared down at him for a second, unpleasant memories drifting through his head.

 

The poor kid just seemed so... needy, so desperate for attention and love. No wonder he had been surprised when Thor told him they cared. Odin seemed to be starving the little thing of the affection he needed.

 

Sighing, Tony nodded slightly to show Loki it was okay before leading the miniature god to a guest room for him to stay in. Natasha, Steve, and Thor tagged along behind them, chatting quietly. Clint and Bruce awkwardly decided to leave; they were, after all, the only ones who still didn't seem to trust the silver-tongued male.

 

"D-do you want to see a trick?" Loki asked sweetly as they walked. Tony glanced down uncertainly at him.

 

"What kind of trick?" He questioned, wary that the god of mischief was up to no good. Loki gave an anxious smile.

 

"A-a magic trick. Mama taught me," he answered. The man sighed and nodded. He had enough money to rebuild his tower if Loki burnt it down...

 

The child beamed and cupped his hands, closing his eyes and focusing so hard it showed on his face. Slowly, a wooden dog figurine formed in his hands. Loki grinned at his achievement and held the puppy out to Tony.

 

"For me?" The brunette sounded surprised.

 

"I like cats," the dark haired boy shrugged. "But you seem like the kind to like dogs more." Tony nodded thoughtfully and stared down at the dog charm.

 

"It's cute," he muttered. He glanced up. "Oh, here's a guest room. I guess you can just stay here." He pushed open the door and watched as the boy's eyes lit up. He darted into the room.

 

"Wow!" He gasped, looking out the window. "There's so many buildings!" He turned to Tony. "I saw them from the ground when I came, but... Wow!"

 

"I take it you like it then," Tony chuckled. He entered slowly and sat on the bed. "Loki," he started carefully, aware that he was treading into unsafe territory and he should have discussed it with the group first.

 

The boy immediately gave him all his attention, previous delight forgotten. He hesitantly sat beside the brunette and placed his hands in his lap to keep them from distracting him. Such a smart kid...

 

"So, you don't have any idea what's going on, do you?" The man asked. Loki shook his head.

 

"All I know is that I did something really bad. I feel sorry, even if I am uncertain as to what I have done," the boy nodded as he answered. Tony's eyes widened.

 

"You feel sorry? You weren't just saying that because you had to?" He startled. Loki sighed, a melancholy expression coming over his face as he placed a hand to his chest.

 

"Yes. I feel a lot of regret and sadness inside." He winced. "There is so much guilt and grief that it hurts a little. My heart responds to each of you when I look at you, and it hurts just a little more. Especially when I look at my brother. I feel so sad..."

 

They sat in silence for a long moment.

 

"You did so something very bad. You see, you're a little smaller than we know you as." Tony let out a slow exhale. "You grew up bitter and lonely. Then you hurt others because you thought it would give you some kind of peace or sense of accomplishment or something. After that, some bad stuff happened to you and you ended up hurting some more people." Loki looked ready to cry, but he didn't deny it. "We think you were being forced to do some of what you did, but we still had to punish you anyway. I guess you must have escaped from Asgard and looked for somewhere to call your own on Earth-"

 

"Do you mean Midgard?" Loki questioned quietly. He was staring shamefully down at his lap, toying with his fingernails. "Did I hurt people here? Is that why I feel sad when I look at you?"

 

"Yes, yes, and yes," the man sighed. "But somewhere in between when we last saw you and now, you turned yourself back into a kid."

 

"A kid?" Loki looked confused.

 

"A child," Tony corrected with a light chuckle. He just remembered that a kid was a baby goat... He gave the green eyed boy a long, concerned look when he started to shake. "Hey, what's wrong?"

 

"B-but if I hurt so many people, t-then why are you b-being nice to me?" The child questioned with misty eyes. "S-shouldn't you take me b-back to Father, o-or whip me, or... or..." He looked ready to burst into sobs.

 

"Loki, we would never do that to you. Even if we hated you and could never forgive you, we wouldn't treat you poorly when you need us. One of our main goals in life is to help people," the dark eyed man offered.

 

"Excuse me," Pepper called, opening the door. She frowned when she noticed Loki in tears. "Tony!"

 

"It wasn't me!"

 

"Hey, do you wanna go get some clothes? You're gonna look kinda strange if you walk around all day in a suit," the strawberry blonde suggested. Loki nodded shyly. He greedily took Pepper's hand when she offered it.

 

"Thank you, Mr.Stark," Loki murmured softly. "And I'm sorry."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Do you like cats or dogs more? I've been really afraid of dogs since I was little, so I've always been more of a kitty person


	4. Chapter 4

Pepper noticed how nervous the car ride made Loki and decided it was probably best to minimize their driving time. Heading to the closest store she could, she counted it as a miracle that she was able to get a parking spot. She helped Loki out of the car and led him to the children's section in the store.

 

He eyed the clothes carefully, unhappy with the bright colors and strange decals. He sighed in slight resignation and began to grab things he even slightly liked that were close to his size.

 

Pepper had to stop him when he started to try them on in the middle of the store.

 

"No! No-hahahaha!" The strawberry blonde burst into giggles. "No, Loki! Y-you don't change here. T-try them- heehee- on in one of the little stalls over there!" She gently gave him a push in the right direction. He looked confused at first, but instantly beamed when he understood and jogged over with the small bundle of clothes in his arms.

 

Pepper sat in one of the chairs outside.

 

"Done!" A call came from inside the dressing rooms a moment later.

 

"Umm, no. You're not. I want you to show me," the woman stated flatly.

 

"Oh." There was a small pause before a bright, "Okay!"

 

Moments later, a tiny Loki stepped out anxiously. A green and white striped, collared polo shirt and dark blue jeans were what he had chosen. Pepper sat up and stared at him for a long moment.

 

"May I?" She questioned, inclining her head towards him. He nodded nervously.

 

"Did I not do well? I tried to look like the pictures-" Loki gestured to some of the manakins and seasonal wall decorations.

 

"You did fine, sweetie," Tony's girlfriend mumbled as she fiddled with his pants. "I just think these are a bit big for you..." She glanced up at him. "What size are these?"

 

"An S," he answered automatically. She almost laughed.

 

"Well, okay, but I think you might be an XS," she responded. He nodded and went back into the dressing room, returning in the different pants. "Much better! Now, try on some of the other stuff!"

 

Loki beamed and did exactly that.

 

In the end, they had quite a few shirts and a couple pairs of pants. They still needed shoes, probably some toiletries, pajamas, underwear...

 

Pepper sighed as they got back in the car. Loki bounced excitedly for a moment, forgetting his previous nervousness. He remembered it all too soon when the engine started.

 

Loki squeaked quietly, gripping the edges of his seat. Pepper glanced at him with concern.

 

"Loki, it's okay. It's just the car." She thought for a moment. "You ride horses in Asgard, right?" He nodded shakily. "Well, the car is kind of like a Midgardian horse. It takes you were you want to go, and you can control it. Look, here," she grabbed the steering wheel. "This is kind of like the reins. I am in control of the car."

 

Loki took a deep breath and smiled quietly. Pepper returned the smile and pulled out of their parking space.

 

-{[(•)]}-

 

A few hours later, they had a pair of tennis shoes, two sets of pajamas, a few packs of socks and underwear, the necessary toiletries, some coloring books with crayons and colored pencils, a jacket, a box of Legos, and a set of action figures which may or may not be the Avengers...

 

Tony hadn't exactly been angry with their spending spree, more irritated that he hadn't come along.

 

"Well, I've got enough money," he sighed when he saw the seven year old talking to his action figures as though they would respond. The boy was smiling and talking especially animatedly with the Iron Man...

 

"Trust me, you didn't need to be there," Pepper sighed, taking a long sip of tea. "He was so difficult. I thought he'd be so easy..."

 

"Difficult how?" Tony asked. The strawberry blonde frowned and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

 

"It was like he didn't want me to buy anything. I actually had to force him to pick out coloring books. And he never let me buy anything if he saw the price. It's sad, Tony. It's like he doesn't think he's worth the money. I almost cried for him when he refused some candy," she sighed.

 

"I think it's worse than that," the brunette scowled, eyes wandering to the boy who was playing happily. Loki glanced up then and smiled widely, green eyes glittering. Tony returned his gaze to Pepper after returning the smile half-heartedly. "When he talked about his parents discipling him, he said he needed Thor to help with the bandages. I think they beat him, Pep."

 

The woman gasped.

 

"And Thor mentioned once that magic was used primarily by women in Asgard. So he was probably ridiculed for that," she frowned angrily. His magic was beautiful; she had seen it in action.

 

"I remember that too. I also heard him say something about Loki being the odd one out for his intelligence," Tony replied in hushed tones. Loki was starting to get curious about what they were talking about. Pepper shook her head sadly.

 

"So he was abused and bullied his whole life, add neglect and torture... I'm surprised he wasn't worse off," she whispered. "I probably would have gone insane."

 

"He did go insane, Pepper. He tried to take over the world," Tony smirked slightly, though it was tainted by anger and bitterness.

 

"I'm starting to think he was pressured into it by the Chitauri. Didn't they torture him too, and put him under the scepter's control? Thor's always talking about how Loki was once so sweet and kind, always looking to please others," Pepper looked highly concerned. "Did you read those Norse mythology links I sent you?"

 

"Yeah, the whole team did," Tony winced. "That had to suck, having a bunch of kids and then having them stolen."

 

"And the Asgardians treat the frost giants like dirt. They were raised with a mind for conquest over them. And for Loki to grow up like that and then find out he is one?" Tears formed in the woman's eyes and she quickly took a sip of her tea.

 

"Are you alright?" Loki asked suddenly, appearing next to them and tugging gently on Pepper's shirt. The woman sniffled weakly, offered a sad smile and nodded.

 

"I'm gonna go email the others," she addressed Tony. He nodded silently and watched her go.

 

"What's wrong? She was so sad," Loki wondered. The dark eyed man just shook his head.

 

"Hey, you want to play together?" He questioned, gesturing to the action figures. Green eyes lit up in wonder, and a dark haired head bobbed excitedly.

 

They sat down on the floor together.

 

"You're this one," Loki grinned and held out the Iron Man to Tony. The brunette laughed heartily and agreed. "A-and... I want to be this one." Loki cradled the Thor.

 

"Why do you want to be that one?" Tony asked as they made the figures fly around and defeat the 'evil, mind-controlled' Avengers. The Hulk was playfully thrown through a Lego building.

 

"He's strong, and handsome," Loki smiled. The smile faltered after a moment. "And he's a great warrior and everyone likes him and he's a real man." He sat down with a 'plunk.' "Basically, he's everything I'm not..." His gaze returned to the action figure.

 

"I don't know about that!" Tony laughed, internally devastated by the implications of Loki's words. Emotional abuse as well, how cruel. "You're pretty cute, too, and I'm sure you'll grow up nice and strong! And I know plenty of people who like you!"

 

Loki just sighed.

 

"Why don't we eat now?" The brunette suggested. The boy nodded sadly and stood. He cleaned up all of the action figures and Legos and placed them carefully back inside the correct boxes. "JARVIS, can you take care of the bags?"

 

"Certainly, sir."

 

Tony held out his hand. Loki stared at it for a long moment, and the man could see a desperate conflict in his eyes. Without a word, he reached up and gently took Tony's hand. The brunette resisted the strong urge to pull him into a hug.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: What's your favorite flavor of ice cream? I don't like mint for most things, but I'm getting into mint chocolate chip ice cream...


	5. Chapter 5

After a silent and awkward dinner of Chinese takeout and Poptarts (the Asgardians really liked them, it seemed), Loki started to get pretty tired, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He played with Thor and the action figures for a bit before his older brother decided it was his bedtime.

 

The blonde, muscular God scooped the seven year old into his arms and settled him on his hip, already starting to walk down the hallway to the dormitories. Loki tiredly leaned his head against his big brother's shoulder and gently gripped his shirt for extra balance.

 

"Do not fall asleep just yet, brother. You still must take a bath," Thor admonished. The dark haired child just whined quietly, resolved to do what he wanted no matter what. "Loki..." Thor sighed and shifted the boy on his hip, "Please, I do not want to bathe you whilst you are unconscious." Green eyes just slowly opened and stayed that way.

 

Finally, the small family reached Loki's temporary place of residence. The blue eyed man fumbled with the tiny suit for a moment before the black haired kid huffed indignantly and undid the buttons himself. Thor showed Loki the bathroom, turned on the water for him and turned to leave before a small hand gripping his tunic stopped him.

 

"I-I..." Loki stuttered weakly. His face was a dull shade of red. Tiny trembles ran through his shoulders and he clutched his towel tighter against his chest. "I d-do not yet know how to b-bathe."

 

The man just stared mutely for a moment, making his little brother flush even more in embarrassment.

 

"R-right," he whispered and pulled away. "S-sorry. I'm smart; I-I can figure I-it o-ow-out..." He silently removed his pants and undergarments before setting the towel down on the toilet seat and sitting in the tub, still confused as to why his brother was just standing there. Green eyes flickered away, and he gulped before speaking. "A-are you going to l-laugh at me?"

 

That seemed to startle Thor out of the reverie he had fallen into.

 

"No! No! I would never laugh at you! I was just shocked. I didn't think you would ask for help with this sort of thing," he admitted and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "Here-" He hurriedly knelt beside the tub and started to teach his brother how to wash himself with the washcloth and the vanilla scented body wash.

 

It seemed Loki had a strange attachment to the smell because all of the scented toiletries smelled faintly of it. Everything down to the toothpaste had the sweet, warm fragrance.

 

Loki started to fall asleep again once Thor began to wash his hair, gently rubbing the sudsy vanilla shampoo into his hair. "Like that, do you?" The blonde chuckled. "Close your eyes." He was afraid his little brother would fall asleep for sure once he did so, but he'd rather that than getting soap in those bright green eyes. The seven year old did as he was told, and Thor used a cup to wash away the bubbles while using his hand to shield Loki's face.

 

"You are surprisingly good at this, brother," Loki murmured sleepily. "Must you do this often?"

 

"I am responsible for myself on Midgard. There are no servants like ours here," Thor answered thoughtfully. The boy hummed in agreement.

 

"True. I have never met anyone quite like your friends. They are very... nice."

 

Thor was done after that, and he gently lifted Loki from the tub. He had to help the child dry off with the oversized towel since he was too tired to do it himself. Then the blonde dressed the half-aware boy in a pair of fuzzy green pajama pants and a white sleep shirt (which may have been a few sizes too large despite Pepper's best efforts...) and tucked him in quietly. Loki was dead asleep before Thor had even crossed the room to turn out the light.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Does anyone remember having a nightlight or other sleeping aide? I think I had one when I was much younger, but now I really struggle to fall asleep if there's any noise or light in the room.


	6. Chapter 6

At Tony's request, JARVIS let the kid sleep in (for Avenger's standards), but woke him in time to get ready for breakfast. Although, someone probably should have explained this to Loki...

 

"Mr.Odinson, it is time to wake up."

 

Loki emitted a sound strangely between a whine and a grunt. He rolled over and pulled his pillow over his head. "Nooooooooo~!" He mumbled.

 

JARVIS gave the AI equivalent of a sigh.

 

"It is almost time for breakfast, sir. Should you not wake? I doubt you want to go hungry..."

 

That got Loki up quickly. Tussled black haired immediately appeared as the seven year old bolted upright. "I-If I do not go now, they w-will not feed me?" He gasped. Thin arms wrapped around his abdomen. "I-I..."

 

"Sir, if I may-"

 

Loki was on the verge of tears as he hurriedly got up and rushed to get dressed. He pulled something green over his head, and there were some black things on his legs, and then he was quickly running a brush through his hair, and oh! What if he didn't make it in time?!

 

"Mr.Odinson, please calm down. What is currently the problem?"

 

The green eyed boy just crumpled to the ground in defeat. "I-I'm not going to make it in time..." His breaths grew shaky, and his heart pounded in his chest. A small, hopeless sound escaped him, somewhere in between a sob and a whimper. This only seemed to confused JARVIS more, for he was completely unprepared for dealing with unknown children...

 

"Sir, are you not going down to breakfast?"

 

The boy just cried in response before he crawled into the wardrobe and curled in a ball, closing the doors behind him and covering his head with his arms. If they weren't going to feed him because he didn't get up on time, whose to say they wouldn't beat him if he didn't get down there on time?

 

"Oh dear..."

 

-{[(•)]}-

 

"Ah, Mr.Stark-" JARVIS called faintly into the kitchen. "Mr.Odinson." Thor looked up to the ceiling, still unable to grasp the concept that there wasn't someone there.

 

"What is it JARVIS? Where's the Lokster, by the way?" Tony automatically replied without even looking away from where he was watching Steve make waffles while Natasha cut up an assortment of fruits.

 

"That's what this is about, Sir. It seems I have woken him incorrectly. His breathing and heart-rate have accelerated, and he has retreated to the confines of the wardrobe."

 

Tony muttered a curse and hurriedly brought Thor to Loki's room.

 

"I do not understand, Man of Iron. What is the matter?" The blonde questioned as they jogged. Tony took a second to stop gasping for air (Wow, he really needed to start working out-) before he gave an answer.

 

"JARVIS said he scared Loki, and the kid's hiding in the closet." The brunette ran a hand through his hair and opened the door.

 

Both men were greeted with hushed sobs coming from the tall, wooden Narnia reference. They shared a glance before Tony silently approached the doors. He hesitated for a second, then he knocked quietly. The sobs subsided for a second.

 

"W-who's t-there?" Loki requested in a wavering voice.

 

"Hey, Rudolph. It's Tony. Man in Iron and all that jazz..." The brown eyed man trailed off when the boy's breath hitched. "Loki? Do you wanna tell me what's wrong? I'm sure we can do something about it-"

 

"NO!" The seven year old shouted, sounding frightened. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" He was panicking, hyperventilating, sobbing himself into a mess.

 

"Hey, Lokster, I'm going to open the door, okay? We'll go from there," Tony tried to assure. "Thor's here with me, if that makes you feel better."

 

"N-no! G-go away-" Loki's miserable pleas were ignored and the doors swung outward, greeting the two men with a terrified boy curled up on the bottom of the wooden shelter. Tony knelt down to his level. He held his hands up, making sure they were always in Loki's view which would assure him that Tony wasn't attempting anything.

 

"What's going on? Why are you freaking out?" The brunette asked and tried to make his voice sound gentle. Maybe he should have sent Pepper in his place... She could probably do this a lot better, and she's already spent a day with the kid...

 

"I-I'm sorry... I-I-I did not k-know, b-but I d-did not m-muh-mean to," Loki paused to sniffle and shift closer to Tony, wary of him but still desperate for his warmth and care. "I-I w-would not have b-been l-luh-late if I had k-known-"

 

"Known what? I don't understand. What are you late for?" Tony's brows furrowed in confusion.

 

"Ah, Sir, I believe I finally understand," JARVIS interrupted smoothly. "When I first awakened Mr.Odinson, I implied that he might miss breakfast if he was not there in time. I did not mean for him to gather that food would be with-held from him." Green eyes widened.

 

"O-oh," he whispered and shrunk back. Not only was he late, he caused a whole mess of a disturbance and cried in front of warriors because he made a silly mistake. Why should he ever think these people would ever be like his father? Just because Odin sometimes kept him from eating, didn't mean they would. "I-I'm sorry," Loki managed.

 

Tony shook his head, "It's alright, Reindeer Games. No harm, no foul. I'm just glad we got this cleared up. Now come on, breakfast'll get cold." He offered his hand, and the petite boy gingerly accepted.

 

The trio walked back to the dining room together. Natasha left the kid alone and pretended nothing had happened. Bruce ignored him altogether and started to make a kettle of tea. Steve gave Loki a warm, polite, American smile and offered him some breakfast.

 

"What are these waffles you speak of?" He asked.

 

"They are delicious, brother! You must have them!" Thor boomed (as was usual for him). "Waffles are a kind of sweet bread that you eat with syrup, fruit, or finely whipped cream! Here." He grabbed a plate, put two waffles on it, lightly drizzled them with chocolate sauce, added equal amounts of strawberries and blueberries, and sprayed the top with whipped cream.

 

"Careful, Thor. I don't want him running around on a sugar hype," Natasha warned. Thor just laughed.

 

Loki took a hesitant bite of waffle, unknowingly getting puffs of whipped cream on the corners of his mouth. His eyes widened and lit up.

 

"Good!" He managed before he began to delicately (read: hurriedly) eat the rest of his breakfast. He beamed in satisfaction and gulped down three glasses of orange juice.

 

Natasha was right about the sugar rush, of course, and the miniature god of mischief came down from his high around two in the afternoon.

 

Clint had retreated to his room at the beginning of Loki's sugar rush. Bruce had eventually snuck away to his lab just in case things got bad. Steve had been chased from the room in a flurry of glitter and pink paint around noon, and now Tony and Thor were passed out on the couch. Loki slept peacefully between them, a blue blanket wrapped around him tiny form and the corner of his pillow in his mouth.

 

The only female Avenger sat at the kitchen counter, reviewing the videos she had taken from the safety of her hiding spot behind the entertainment center. It was in the footage from around nine that morning that she noticed Pepper starting to walk into the room (files and coffee in hand) before abruptly stopping, taking a sip of her coffee, and smoothly walking backwards out the door again.

 

The redhead laughed wickedly, trying to imagine the thoughts that must have been going through the poor strawberry blonde's head...

 

"Mm..." Loki shifted in his sleep. He stretched elegantly like a cat and left his feet on Thor's lap. Unconsciously, one of his hands reached for Thor's, and the other wrapped around Tony's left. Natasha giggled slightly at the sight and took a picture.

 

Finally, the female assassin decided it was time to clean up and bring the rest of the boys up for a late lunch. They had, after all, escaped so quickly and not returned for food.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: What is the ultimate breakfast in your mind? There used to be a restaurant in my area called the Pancake House, and they had these peach crepes that were to die for!! Ahhh, now I'm getting hungry and sad (T ^ T)


	7. Chapter 7

After a week, Loki started to get bored of playing with his action figures. The little men didn't talk to him or move on their own, and it felt kind of desperate to talk to fake people. So, after a lot of whining, hiding, almost crying, and puppy dog eyes, Loki was granted a day in Tony's lab while he worked.

 

At first, it really worked. Loki was quiet, in awe of everything Tony did. And because he was so well behaved and didn't touch anything, Tony thought nothing of letting the kid sit in there for the next couple of days. It certainly solved Loki's problems of boredom and loneliness, and eventually he became curious about the wonders of science.

 

For the next two weeks, Tony's mouth was constantly moving. Every moment of his work day was spent answering questions and explaining how things worked. Loki was an attentive listener, and soon Tony felt okay letting him touch stuff. Some stuff...

 

Loki became a lab assistant of sorts. He often handed Tony tools or offered ideas from a much simpler point of view. Sometimes Tony's mind was just too scattered and advanced to see the plainer answers.

 

So, Loki, with his weak understanding of science, helped Tony as much as he could. But, he was, after all, still a child, and it didn't take long for him to become bored again.

 

-[]-

 

Tony was alone in the lab for the first time in almost a month, and he found himself talking out loud even though he knew no one else was there. He was working on an engine for some robot or something, just tinkering away without much thought. Sometimes, he expectantly paused with his hand out, waiting for Loki to put a tool there.

 

After a few hours, Tony actually felt sort of lost and alone. He didn't like the feeling, and he understood that Loki had worked his way into his heart... It sucked because he actually missed the little guy.

 

He sighed quietly and reached out his hand to grab his screwdriver, only to find that it wasn't there. He frowned and looked at where it had been sitting. Where did it go?

 

He glanced under the table and didn't see it among the usual clutter. Odd... He looked back at where he left it, only to see it again. But wasn't it just gone?!

 

Tony frowned and scratched his head. Maybe he needed to take a nap...

 

Later...

 

He'll definitely take a nap later.

 

Not thinking much of the occurrence, Tony returned to his work. Soon, he reached for the wrench he needed to tighten a few bolts. His hand clasped on thin air. Again confused, he looked at the spot where the tool had just been.

 

It was not there.

 

Tony closed his eyes and lightly smacked himself upside the head. "See, Stark? This is what happens when you drink so much alcohol. You loose brain cells  _and_ you go delusional!" When he opened his eyes again, the wrench was right there.

 

It practically mocked him.

 

'I was always here,' it whispered. 'You are just insane!'

 

"I'm imagining that my tools are talking to me," Tony gaped. "I can hear it's little voice in my head. Sweet mother of whiskey-"

 

Light, mischievous laughter burst into the room. The brunette startled at the sound and turned to see his miniature lab partner cackling on the couch. Loki's head was thrown back, and his arms were wrapped around his sides. Tiny tears formed at the corners of his eyes. His laughter was bright and sounded almost like something twinkling.

 

Bells perhaps.

 

Twinkling bells, Tony thought and almost asked JARVIS to compare the two sounds. Instead, the billionaire frowned lightly and waggled his finger at the boy.

 

"So you're the one who's been making my tools disappear!" He declared in a playful manner. He knew from experience that sounding truly upset could make the boy instantly dissolve into a quivering mess of tears and snot bubbles.

 

"Yes! Your face was hilarious!" The green eyed child stared at Tony for a long moment before he fell to another round of laughter.

 

"You wanna laugh?! I'll give you something to laugh about!" Tony gave a battle cry and lunged for the boy who barely had time to gasp in surprise. The brown eyed man was suddenly upon him, tickling his sides and the back of his neck.

 

"No! NO!" Loki screeched with laughter loud enough to be heard down the hall. "Ahahahahaha!!!! NOOOOOOO~!"

 

A few seconds later, Steve was at the door in pajamas and a sweatshirt, carrying his shield and ready to defend the duo. He stopped short once he realized what was happening and leaned peacefully against the doorframe. Stark could be a pretty sweet guy it seemed.

 

Tears of happiness rolled down Loki's cheeks and he softly kicked and hit at Tony trying to free himself. "STOP!" He laughed. "S-Stop! I-I... c-can't breathe!" At that, the brunette quickly pulled his hands away and allowed Loki to catch his breath.

 

Abruptly, Loki launched forward with a shriek of delight and wiggled his fingers viscously under Tony's arms and down his sides. The billionaire was quiet for a moment in surprise before he dropped to the ground with a bark of laughter.

 

"N-no! I won't... let you w-win!" He managed.

 

Around that time was when Natasha appeared in the doorframe with a towel around her neck and a camera. It seemed she had gotten out of the shower just in time to record the tickle-fight.

 

"Should we not stop them?" Thor wondered as he stood behind the spy and the American. "Loki can loose his breath quite easily if he's not careful."

 

Natasha chuckled. "Don't worry so much. JARVIS monitors everyone in the tower, and Tony's always cautious about this stuff. They'll be fine." The blonde god nodded, and the trio continued to watch until Loki triumphantly claimed a victory (one that Tony had  _obviously_  given him!) and happily skipped out of the lab for dinner.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: What was your favorite toy as a kid?


	8. Chapter 8

Loki sat quietly by one of the tall glass windows in the lab, watching as everything happened outside. A Lego robot rested uselessly in his hands; he had built it earlier that day and refused to let go of it for fear that something would happen to it. Thor had pulled his steadily growing black hair back into a short ponytail, even if his bangs had fallen out because they were too short. The green eyed boy had considered asking Pepper for a headband because they kept getting in his eyes, but he let it be. He wore the green and white striped polo shirt today, with his pair of khaki shorts and light up sneakers. Something weighed heavily on his chest, as it had since JARVIS woke him up.

Nearby, Tony was working on some new gadget or something, rambling on about everything and anything and nothing, all at once. His shirt was stained with sweat and oil stains from last night. He had refused to change when he went to bed (for all of the half hour he actually slept) and again when he woke up. He knew something was bothering Loki, and it was starting to make him jittery. His hands twitched all of the worktable, and his eyes never stayed focused on anything for more than a second. Or, maybe he was just relapsing because Pepper had refused to let him drink of drop of alcohol since Loki appeared.

He was probably just relapsing...

The child at the window sighed deeply and kicked his dangling feet back and forth irritably. He was having a wonderful time the Avengers so far. More than a month into his stay, and he practically considered them family... Except Clint, who still didn't seem to like him. Thor would always be his big brother, but now he had other people he could love and be loved by. Natasha was like his second mother (or crazy aunt), Pepper was his big sister, Steve was like his friendly uncle, Bruce had filled the roll of cousin somehow, and Tony... Tony was the father he could have only asked for. Sure, their impromptu family was a little strange, and they still tiptoed around each other a bit, but they were growing closer every day.

Loki was perfectly fine now, or as close to fine as he could get. Odin seemed like a distant memory. The seven year old was happy with where he was and who he had been provided with. Thor considered what he had to say and didn't tease him now, even if it still felt like he was hiding something. Clint tried to be less hostile, at least. Steve openly talked with him and played with him whenever he asked. Bruce wasn't afraid of the Other Guy attacking him anymore, and Natasha wasn't worried about the boy trying to trick them. Pepper colored with him often, even if she did look disappointed when his pictures almost looked realistic compared to hers. Tony always tried to make sure he ate all his vegetables and got to bed on time; this had greatly surprised the others, who never thought he could be the fatherly type. But still, Loki knew what was missing.

"Tony," he called tentatively, still nervous to call him 'Papa' like he did in his head. His green eyes never left the world beyond the window. "Why... Why can't I go outside?"

That's what it was. Loki felt caged. Over a month, and he still hadn't left the tower besides to get new clothes. Even then, he was practically glued to Pepper's side, being rushed from one place to the next in a number of hours. He wanted to go  _outside_ , with the  _sun_  and the  _birds_  and the  _trees_! He didn't like his life on Asgard, but back then he had at least been allowed to wander Mother's garden.

"Go... outside?" Tony suddenly stopped moving altogether. So that's what had been eating at his little buddy. "Well... I guess I never really considered that. Hmm." He thought for a long moment. "There are some people who... don't  _like_  you for... what older you did. We just don't want you to get attacked by those people. Or even seen really, because then they'd know you're here and they could come and try to get you, which would really suck and I just..." The brunette took a deep breath.

"I understand," the seven year old smiled sweetly and returned to staring out the window. "it's okay. It was just a thought." Now he just felt nervous... If he left the tower, he would just be attacked. Or people who hated him would come for him and take him from Tony and Thor and the others... It really was better for him to stay inside.

Tony watched the boy with a melancholy expression. Poor kid. All he wanted to do was go outside for a little bit, but no, instead he was told doing so might hurt him. The brown eyed many huffed gruffly and ran his hands through his hair. "JARVIS," he barked with more force than was probably necessary. "Tell Thor and Nat to meet Loki and I in the front room."

"Of course, sir. Anything else?" JARVIS responded smoothly.

"Nope... Wait, get Thor to grab one of Loki's jackets. Oh, and what's the weather like in Central Park right now?" Tony questioned.

"87 degrees, sir, and partly cloudy with a 30% chance of rain."

"Perfect!"

The brunette rounded on his wide eyed charge and scooped him up. The boy gasped and anxiously grabbed Tony's shirt in his tiny fingers. The man just grinned. Carrying Loki on his hip, Tony entered the elevator and went up a few floors to the Avengers living area. Sure enough, Thor and Natasha had gathered in the front room.

"Put on your sweatshirt," Tony told the green eyed boy and set him on the floor. Still a bit shocked, the child quickly pulled on his navy, zippered sweatshirt. His hand subconsciously drifted into Thor's. "Alright, gang! Loki's slowly suffocating in the tower, so we're hitting the park for ice cream." Thor grinned and squeezed his hand happily. Natasha sighed and shook her head.

"You're just asking for trouble," she commented, but didn't bother protesting. "Lead the way, Stark."

"It's a kinda far walk, and parking is terrible in New York, so this might take a while..."

-{[(-)]}-

Loki had practically sprinted the last fifty feet to the park. " _Come on_!" he screamed. His light-up sneakers were going haywire with the number of steps he was taking. He bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet at the entrance.

"Loki! Hold up, buddy! We need to establish some rules," Tony called. Natasha nodded with a pleasant smile. Loki was adorable when he was happy. "First of all, you can't just go running off like that. Secondly, you need to stay in one of our sights at all times. No disappearing or hiding. Third, do not talk to any strangers. At all. Come back when you're ready for ice cream. That should be it..." He glanced to Natasha to make sure before nodding firmly. "Alright, scamp. Go have f-" The seven year old had already sprinted towards the nearest tree. "Do you think he heard me?'

Thor just laughed.

-{[(-)]}-

An hour later, Loki had run to where the adults were seated among the pigeons. He demanded Thor play with him, and giggled maniacally as they battled all kinds of imaginary beasts. Soon, they had dragged Natasha into their game. Now they were fighting something a bit more modern (some kind of evil robots). Loki didn't appear to be getting tired anytime soon, so it wasn't long until they got Tony to play as well. The seven year old rode around on the brunette's back, pretending he was a mighty steed. The genius honestly wasn't bothered (Loki's grin was just too cute), and Natasha thought it was hilarious.

Well, she thought that until Loki suddenly leaped from his "ride's" back to tackle her. Every bone in her body was forced to resist her instinct to throw him off. Using her distraction, the boy managed to steal her stick "weapon" and forced her to surrender. The woman was shocked for a moment before she let out an almost girlish giggle and agreed. Moving up to the "prisoner's tower" (a nearby tree), Natasha played her part as the perfect damsel in distress. Thor valiantly tried to "reclaim the fair maiden." Unfortunately, it would seem that it was not his day.

When Thor moved to grab Loki and make him surrender, the seven year old let out a short cry of pain. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he backed away from his brother, looking wounded. The blonde panicked and immediately picked the boy up to check him over for injuries. Suddenly, Loki cackled and held out his "sword" to the bigger male's throat.

"Hah hah, I win," he teased.

"You- you tricked me!" Thor spluttered. "I can't believe you! I thought I had hurt you!" The little brat had the audacity to stick out his tongue!

"He's right. That's not very nice, Loki," Natasha scolded lightly.

"Don't be the boy who cried wolf. If you trick people like that, one day they won't believe you. Then you'll really be hurt, and no one will help you," Tony explained as he gently took the seven year old from his brother. "You should apologize."

"R-really? That can happen? I-I never thought..." Loki quickly turn to Thor. "I'm sorry, big brother. I-I won't do it again." The blonde frowned. How do you stay angry when someone calls you 'big brother' in such a little, miserable voice?

"I... I forgive you."

"Hey, why don't we get ice cream now?" Tony suggested. Natasha smirked and poked him lightly.

"Tired?"

"No."

-{[(-)]}-

Thor got strawberry ice cream, Natasha took mint chip, Tony went for chocolate, and Loki took vanilla. Once they had procured the delightful frozen treats, they found an empty bench to sit on. Watching old couples and excited children run by, the adults chatted quietly. Loki was kicking his tiny legs again, licking his ice cream so quickly it had to be unhealthy. Not to mention how messy... He already had ice cream all around his mouth and on the tip of his nose. Some of it had dribbled down his chin and onto his shirt. There were even some speckles of the creamy dessert on his shorts.

Sighing, Natasha forced herself to wait until he had finished the cone before pulling out a napkin and wiping him off as best she could. Tony stifled a laugh when she finally noticed the state of Thor.

-{[(-)]}-

After another hour in the park, Loki was too tired to continue. Thor gave him a piggy back ride for the journey home. Once they had finally arrived at the tower, the seven year old was laid down for a nap on the couch with his favorite blue blanket. Steve cooed at the sight of him, and even Bruce admitted he looked adorable when he slept. Clint just stared at him for a long moment; then he hissed something under his breath and left the tower for a while. Tony returned to the lab, telling JARVIS to inform him when the miniature trickster awakened. Thor decided to watch a movie in his room, and Natasha began to make a late lunch for everyone.

It seemed right how they all seemed to fill these almost family-like roles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Do you have any fond memories at the park? Some of my more recent memories include conquering Pokemon gyms with my friends, in Pokemon Go.


	9. Chapter 9

"Okay, bud, listen up," Tony called. "As much fun as the park was, we're not going to be able to go there everyday. We adults have jobs to do, and you really shouldn't go outside in the first place." Loki frowned.

 

"I know. I'm glad we got to go, despite the possible consequences. I do not really need  _that_  much time outside. I need something to occupy my time; something to take me faraway places without ever leaving the tower," the seven year old responded intelligently.

 

" _Smarty_. I'm doing the best I can, alright? What the heck do you even mean? Like books?" The brunette scoffed. He ran a hand through his hair, and when he looked back at the kid, his big green eyes were sparkling.

 

" _Books?!_ " He whispered. " _Could I have some?! Please?!_ "

 

Tony's jaw dropped. Why didn't he think of this earlier. The kid was a mini-genius, and didn't Thor say something along the lines of 'he always spent his time in his room with his nose in a book?' The brown eyed man smacked himself.

 

"Alright. Let's head to the library."

 

The man led the dark haired child through the tower to the gigantic library. The moment felt oddly like the scene from Beauty and the Beast as he swept open the large double doors to the darkened room and was forced to open each set of curtains. When the last curtain opened, Loki spun in dazed circles, grinning like a maniac. A girlish squeal passed through his lips, and he darted towards the nearest bookshelf.

 

"There's so many!" He shrieked in delight. Tiny footsteps patterned through the entire room, even climbing ladders and going up the stairs to the second floor. Tony himself wasn't a huge fan of books, but several of the other Avengers liked to read, so he'd had this library made. He was glad he'd done so.

 

"Tony! Tony!" Loki cried and ran up to him. He tugged enthusiastically on the front of the man's shirt and bounced on the balls of his feet. "There's a book about Thor and I!" A curse fell from the brunette's lips as he was led towards the shelf were the Norse mythology book sat innocently.

 

"Hey, Loki," the brown eyed inventor was quick to kneel in front of the child, gripping his shoulders. "You have to promise me you won't read that book."

 

"What? But why?" The seven year old pouted.

 

"Remember when I told you about what future you did? That book is filled with all of the bad things that happen to you. You wouldn't want to read something like that, would you?" Tony demanded. He knew full well that Thor had yet to tell Loki about his adopted status, and one of the first things in the book was how Odin  _found_  Loki as a baby in the land of  _Frost Giants_. He may not understand Thor's reasoning or why the Johtuns and Asgardians were such bad enemies, but he knew Loki would be really hurt if he knew the truth. He told Loki about the Battle of New York because the poor kid was so confused about why they all seemed so hostile when he'd never seen them a day in his life. And he wasn't going to cause the kid more pain than he already had.

 

"But if I read about it, can't I be more prepared for it when it comes?" Loki questioned innocently. The billionaire just shook his head.

 

"Those things already happened. You just don't remember. There's no need for you to prepare for them. Besides, who wants to read about themselves? Wouldn't you rather read about dragons or physics or whatever?" He suggested. The green eyed boy nodded slowly. "Here, what's your favorite subject?"

 

"Magic."

 

...

 

...

 

"Crap. Ummm, second favorite?"

 

-{[(•)]}-

 

By the end of the day, Loki had moved the books he was interested to a rapidly growing pile in his room. As soon as the seven year old had left the library to start his little hoard, Tony grabbed the Norse mythology and had JARVIS direct him to the best hiding place in the entire tower. Then he restricted the information of the book's location so that only he and Thor could find it.

 

It seemed Loki was in love with the fantasy books earth had to offer. They apparently came very close to what Asgard was actually like (in some cases), and the boy liked reading them so he didn't feel too homesick. He quickly became obsessed with the Harry Potter series; Tony secretly made plans to sit down with the kid and watch the movies.

 

The green eyed child also like books that talked about the history of earth. He drew his own world map with JARVIS and linked books to the countries they talked about so he had a reference guide. The All-Tongue allowed him to read in any language, and Natasha quickly jumped on the chance to read to him in Russian. Unfortunately, once Loki learned about the freezing temperatures of the northern country, he became wary of the topic.

 

Steve soon had the mini-magician interested in the art books the library offered. The duo say together for hours, learning everything the guides had to teach them. The captain's bedroom wall was covered with dozens of the boy's drawing by the end of the month.

 

When Loki finally got around to the science wing, Tony and Bruce dragged him away to the lab to show him everything he was studying. Bruce covered biology, physics, and chemistry, while Tony focused on engineering and technology.

 

Clint finally seemed to be coming around when he walked in on a lesson with a determined face, grabbed Loki by the back of his shirt, and hauled him off to teach him sign language and go through a few mystery novels. The archer also forced the boy to practice throwing knives and shooting a bow, but that's a completely unrelated matter.

 

Thor was the last to care about his brother's interest in books. "Once was enough. I don't want to loose my brother to those blasted pages again," he said. With enough nagging from everyone else, Thor eventually browsed the options the library had to offer. Not much caught his eye, but he soon found the adventure section. Every night, the blonde was found putting his brother to bed with another valiant journey or treacherous quest.

 

Even Pepper jumped on the reading rainbow, bringing in some of the best authors in literary history. Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Stephen King, Benjamin Franklin, C. S. Lewis, Jules Verne, Kate DiCamillo, E. B. White, Hellen Keller, Edgar Allen Poe...

 

For the next  _three months_ , Loki always had a book in his hand or was in the lab. Even when the Avengers had a mini-party to celebrate half a year of Loki living peacefully with them, the boy still curled up in a corner of the couch to read. Clint had to literally  _steal_  the book from him and  _hide_  it.

 

After seven months of staying together, the Avengers finally had to swallow the fact that the spell may never wear off and they might actually have to raise the mini-God. Surprisingly, the team didn't find it too much of an inconvenience. Loki had already lived with them for over half a year and hadn't caused any serious problems. Tony and Natasha had accepted their roles as his parents, and everyone adored the boy as much as any family.

 

But there was one problem- Fury.

 

The man suspected something was up, as he had for the past four months. The Avengers suddenly seemed much less reluctant to spend time together, and one of them was always at the tower, as though they had something to hide. It was suspicious to say the least. Luckily, he figured they had just gotten closer over the past half-year of living together, and he decided not to focus too much on it.  _For now..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: What would you say is your favorite book?


	10. Chapter 10

_Boooommmmmmmm. Csssshhhhh!_

 

Loki was startled awake by the bright flash of light and the rumble that followed. His hands clamped over his ears as he anxiously tried to find the source of his awakening. When another lightning bolt struck, the green eyed boy cried out and quickly leapt from his bed. He kept his hands over his ears, and his bare feet led him quietly down the hall.

 

Tears slowly filled his eyes.

 

Before he had been so rudely awoken, Loki had been having a nightmare. He didn't know why and he didn't know exactly what it was of, but there was a lot of cold and darkness and a blue light, but the light hurt, and then the light was gone and it was dark again. He didn't like the dark at all, and the blue light... terrified him.

 

And now, Thor was probably making the weather act up, and he had to wander those these dark hallways alone, where the shadows confused him and the only light was from the occasional lightning bolt. Loki called out quietly for his brother. He did not get a response.

 

The seven year old nervously pushed the door open to Thor's room. The blonde god was not in there. The younger brother sniffled and left the room behind as he continued to search.

 

Thor must be very sad if he's making a storm like this. Or he's very angry. What if he's angry at  _me_?!

 

Loki's steps faltered.

 

No, he's probably not angry at me. I haven't done anything lately. Who else could he be angry with? Maybe himself? Or maybe he really is just sad...

 

An especially loud crash made the child shriek in fright. He really didn't like storms, and he really wished Thor would stop it. This place was scary enough as it was.

 

Cautiously, Loki approached the light coming from the kitchen. "Thor?" He called weakly, clutching the hem of his shirt. Instead of his brother, he found his new father, sitting at the bar.

 

"It's apple juice, I swear!" Tony shouted with wide eyes as he spun around on his barstool. His chocolate eyes landed on the seven year old, and his shoulders immediately slouched in relief. "It... Ah... It really is apple juice..."

 

Loki felt his lip start trembling. Thor wasn't here either. Was he outside the tower then? He couldn't get his brother to stop if he wasn't here.

 

"Hey, bud. You okay?" Tony questioned more gently and approached the trembling boy. "I didn't mean to scare you."

 

"I-I'm fine," Loki quietly promised. "I was just... just l-looking for Thor." Thunder rumbled overhead, and the child flinched.

 

"Oh... 'Cause of the storm, right?" The brunette asked. The dark haired child nodded. "We have storms like this all the time. I doubt your brother is the cause. Ever since you came, he's been a little... big ball of sunshine." The boy nodded slowly.

 

"I d-don't like the thunder. It sounds like w-war," Loki whispered and covered his ears. The engineer sighed and stared at the kid for a long moment. So Loki didn't like war. It didn't surprise him anymore, really. For the past several months they'd seen that while Loki was a prankster, he absolutely hated conflict. Trying to take over the world just isn't something he'd do. The idea that the Chitauri were controlling him was more and more likely every day, and even Clint had admitted it.

 

And the poor kid even had nightmares. He often didn't remember what they were of, but certain things seemed to make him have waking nightmares. Steve had been going over a report once, and Loki had screamed when he saw a picture of a Chitauri solider on the bottom of the screen.

 

"Hey, hey," Tony murmured soothingly and gently pulled the boy closer. "It's okay. You... Uh, you're fine. Nothing's going to get you... or anything." Wow, he still sucked at this... Where's Pepper when you need her? Or Natasha for that matter? She was pretty much Loki's mom.

 

Apparently, Tony's awkwardness was perfectly okay with the tiny god, who just gripped at his shirt and buried his face in the man's shoulder. Tremors ran through his body, and he eventually sank to his knees.

 

"You wanna watch a movie?" Tony asked, trying to come up with a distraction for the distressed child. "We can turn the volume up real loud and close the curtains in the theater..." Loki shook his head, unsure of what a 'movie' was. The brunette made an unhappy, thoughtful look and stared at the pajama clad seven year old. "Why don't we head back to your room, and I'll read to you. We can ask JARVIS where Thor is, 'kay?" The boy nodded thoughtfully and tiredly tried to stand.

 

Giving into one of his hidden desires, Tony scooped the kid up as he'd seen the blonde god do and settled him on his hip. The green eyed kid was surprisingly light. The inventor carried him to his room and set him on the bed. He flicked on the light and closed the curtains on the far side of the room.

 

"JARV, where's Point Break?" Tony called as he rummaged through the stack of books in the corner for something interesting.

 

"Mr.Odinson has not left the building, sir. He woke up an hour ago and departed to the training areas. He is currently preparing for his spar with Ms.Romanof in a few hours," the AI informed him. Tony shook his head. Some people were crazy, getting up so early to prepare for something that wouldn't happen for a long time.

 

"How's this, Loki?" He called over his shoulder, and a book with a mouse on the cover was held up. The billionaire could have sworn there was a movie about this book, but he doubted he'd ever seen it. The child nodded quickly and scooted over to provide space for his Midgardian parent. "Alright... Here we go..." Tony sat on the bed and opened the book to the first page.

 

After reading the first ten or so pages, Tony found a frown on his face. The story was about a tiny little mouse that was discriminated from the other mice because he liked music and light and reading instead of scurrying about and always working. He was curious and thoughtful and sickly, and he was just like Loki. It made him a little bit sick.

 

Tony frowned and glanced over at said child to find tears in his eyes. "We can stop if you want," he lightly commented.

 

The boy shook his head, looking offended. "No! I must know what happens to him!"

 

"Alright."

 

The man turned his eyes back to the book and continued to read. Another hour passed before he looked over at his young charge. The boy was falling asleep where he sat, which made him chuckle.

 

"Okay, kid. I think's it's time you went back to sleep." Tony set the book on the nightstand and pulled the blankets over the seven year old. He moved to the doorway and flicked the lights off with a small smile. "Goodnight, bud."

 

Timidy, a voice responded with what it had been dying to say for months. "N-Night... um, Daddy."

 

Tony flinched just as he closed the door.  _Daddy_ , he thought tiredly.  _Daddy is a very difficult title to accept._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Do you like thunderstorms? Do you like rain in general? What would you say is the perfect weather?


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance.

"Look, Natty!" Loki beamed and held out the project he had been working on all day.

 

The woman glanced down for a second before returning to loading guns on her person and checking her weapons for ammo. "It's very nice, sweetie, but not now, okay?" The red headed Avenger turned from the seven year old and began talking to Clint in hurried tones.

 

The green eyed boy's smile dimmed slightly, but he was determined not to give up. Quickly, he bounced over to the next member of his makeshift family.

 

"Steve, Steve! Look!" He grinned. The blonde super solider frowned and looked down at the boy.

 

"Listen, Loki, we're really busy right now, okay?" The man quickly returned to the information that had just been sent by Fury. "Alright... With Stark's technology we should get there in-"

 

Loki was disinterested in what the blue eyed American said next. Natasha, Clint, and Steve were busy, and he hadn't seen Tony or Bruce yet. Thor! His brother would definitely see what he had done!

 

"Brother! Brother!" He called excitedly with a happy smile. He darted towards where he had last seen the thunderer, but he was surprised to find his big brother in his battle armor. "Brother?"

 

"Please not now, Loki," the blonde brushed past him to talk to the gathered team members. The dark haired boy watched the happenings with rapidly darkening eyes.

 

Well, that just left Tony and Bruce since everyone else was too  _busy_.

 

The seven year old moved stealthily towards the lab, but he met Tong half way. The brunette was in red and gold full-body armor; he had his face plate flipped up to make sure he could speak clearly and not bump into anyone inside the tower. The man had yet to be debriefed on the situation, and he'd really appreciate it if Steve could just tell them what they were up against.

 

"Look, Tony!" Loki smiled and held up his project.

 

"Not now, kid," the man huffed and didn't bother looking down. Some part of his brain recognized that his irritation with Steve and the stress of this whole situation shouldn't be taken out on Loki, but he really couldn't care less right now. Right now, he needed to focus on meeting up with Steve and getting the details of what was happening.

 

Loki's paper thin smile faded to a light frown. Subconsciously, he remembered Odin pushing him away like this, especially about his magic. Sure this project wasn't as big as a new magic trick, but it was still important to him and it had taken the whole day.

 

"You didn't even look," he protested, tailing after the brown eyed man. Tony scowled and let his eyes flicker down for a second.

 

"There, I looked. Can you go... play or something now?" He demanded. Loki's frown immediately morphed into a scowl.

 

"It'll only take a second," he tried for a third time. He held out his project.

 

Tony stopped in his tracks and lifted a hand to his forehead. He didn't have time for this. He had already been stressing enough lately about upgrading everyone's inventions, keeping the house from being destroyed, and trying to fill in where Loki's father had obviously failed. Now, Fury was telling them there was some emergency that all of them had to take care of now; he did  _not_  have the patience to deal with a persistent seven year old.

 

Still, he would do his best to not make any... especially rash decisions.

 

"Loki, please, I really don't have time for this. We can all look at it later, alright? I  _need_  to talk to Steve," the man offered without moving his hand from his face.

 

"It won't be as special then," Loki sighed.

 

"I'm sorry, but this is really important, okay? JARVIS will be here to take care of you, but we all have to take care of something really important," Tony tried to assure him.

 

The project slipped from Loki's fingers.

 

"You're leaving me here alone?" His voice was tinged with a hint of panic.

 

"You won't be alone. JARVIS will watch you," the brunette repeated and continued walking. The boy stood in shock for a moment before rushing to catch up.

 

"Please, don't leave me alone," he called and reached for the man.

 

"Will you calm down? We're not leaving you for good, alright? We should be back by nighttime at the latest."

 

The seven year old stiffened again. He shook his head. "Please,  _please_. Don't leave me here. Don't go away!" He grabbed the man's hand and tugged lightly, trying to get him to stop.

 

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Tony demanded, feeling aggravated. He glared down at the child. "This isn't a game, Loki. I'm not giving you an option. Stay here; we will be back. I'll even call Pepper, and maybe she can stay with you, okay?" Why couldn't Loki just let them do their jobs?

 

"Stark! Hurry up!" Steve's voice demanded through the intercom.

 

"You can't go!" Loki shouted and pulled on the man's arm even harder.

 

"Okay, that is enough! I have tried to be patient with you, but I  _do not have time for this_!" Iron Man growled and grabbed the child by his upper arm. "JARVIS, call Pepper and ask her to come here and look after Loki!"

 

"Yes sir."

 

"And you! Just... Just stay and here and  _behave_ , for Pete's sake!" With those final words, he threw Loki into the nearest room without looking and had JARVIS lock the door. "Alright, alright! I'm coming, Spangles!" He grumbled to the annoying buzz in his ears. Angrily, Tony stormed off to finally meet up with his team.

 

Inside the closet, Loki held back angry and frightened tears. He didn't know exactly what he did wrong, but he knew that he had pushed Tony too far. Maybe... Maybe he should have just let it go. His project really wasn't  _that_ important... He just wanted to show his new family how much he loved them, so he used his new art skills from Steve to make a painting of the Avengers and him.

 

The painting (which had been abandoned on the floor of the hallway) showed Loki sitting happily in Natasha's lap while playing a game with Steve, Clint, and Tony. Bruce and Thor stood nearby, watching happily. There was a smile on everyone's face, and the entire picture had been done in bright, happy colors.

 

Loki shrank back against a wall of the closet and stared at the darkness around him.  _Darkness_... He knew he didn't like the darkness for some reason. He had been fine with it when he had been in Asgard, but ever since he had come to live with the Avengers, he had problems with any dark places.

 

_He had been here for days. When were they going to let him go? It had been just a stupid prank, and he had just been trying to make up for it by getting Sif new hair_...  _It hurts so much_... (1)

 

_How long had he been here? His legs were sore from walking, but he knew he couldn't stop. His son didn't deserve this. He had to find him and rescue him_...  _It hurts so much_... (2)

 

_It had been an eternity since he had last seen the light... All he knew was the sensation of loss and falling_...  _It hurts so much_... (3)

 

The seven year old felt his breaths coming rapidly and his heart beat uncontrollably, but it was an almost distant feeling. What were these feelings? He remembered them but he didn't, and he just wished they would leave him alone.

 

He clamped his hands over his ears and let out a wild scream, hoping to make everything go away. The darkness was surrounding him and pressing in on all sides. He didn't like the dark because it made him see things, and with the light he was blind to this  _agony_.

 

Sometimes, the dark made him want to go back home, and other times the dark made him wish for nothing more than to burn that golden city to the ground. The darkness made names spin around in his head, and he knew them but he really didn't. And the dark made him hear a nasty, mean voice that always sounded so sad and he just  _wanted it all to go away!_

 

Loki screamed again, just because he had to be sure there was air in his lungs. For some reason, he thought there wouldn't be air. There would be nothing but darkness, and it would consume him, and he would choke, and he would be  _taken_.

 

_How much time had been spent in this dark place? He had finally stopped falling, but everything about him felt weak and strained, as though he had been running and running and hadn't stopped. There were things here that touched and abused him, and they made sounds that he came to fear. He didn't like it here. It hurt so much_... (4)

 

Something inside of him was pushing against the walls of his mind. He didn't want those barriers to break; he was afraid of what would be unleashed. Those barricades were holding something back, something that would hurt everybody. So he couldn't let whatever was inside of him out.

 

There was too much darkness and he felt too small and too helpless and  _Thor, please come for me_  and  _Daddy, why did you leave me_  but it couldn't be their faults because he was bad and he deserved everything-

 

Light poured into the small area.

 

Loki was suddenly pulled against something warm and soft and comforting. It smelled like strawberries.

 

"I swear, Tony will be missing teeth when I'm done with him!" Pepper hissed. The seven year old gasped weakly for air, and he faintly recognized the cold liquid on his cheeks. All he could understand was the light and Pepper's voice. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

 

"I-I'm fine," Loki whispered. "P-please don't put me in the d-dark again."

 

"No, sweetheart. Never ever ever, okay?" The strawberry-blonde promised. "You're shaking. You wanna go get some water?" The boy nodded and didn't fuss when she picked him up and settled him against her hip. He did whine as she started to walk away and he remembered his painting. "What's wrong?"

 

"M-my project!" He reached weakly for the discarded paper. The woman nodded stiffly and walked forward to retrieve it. She bit back a gasp when she saw what it was of.

 

"Loki, this is beautiful! You made it?" She smiled softly. He nodded. "It's very pretty. I like all of the nice colors. I'm sad, though. Where am I?"

 

Loki gasped. "I'm sorry!" He stared down at the painting and tilted it to the side. The boy reached deep inside himself for the warm feeling that came from his magic. Carefully, he pulled colors from the picture to add Pepper in, leaning on Tony's shoulders and smiling warmly.

 

If Pepper was amazed by the child's show of talent, she didn't express it. She simply laughed, thanked him, and gave him a loving kiss on the cheek.

 

"Let's get a frame, alright? And we'll find the perfect place to hang it, so don't worry. Now, water?"

 

"Hmm-mmm."

 

The duo relocated to the kitchen where Pepper fetched Loki a glass of water and sat with him at the counter. Slowly, the boy drank the entire glass.

 

"Thank you," he managed quietly and set the glass down on the counter.

 

"It was nothing," the woman bit her lip. "Do you... Do you want to talk about what happened?"

 

Loki took deep breaths and fought back more tears. "I was... I-I pestered Da-Tony too much a-and he got really m-mad, but ever-ryone was busy a-and I just wanted to s-show them my p-picture. B-but it was really, r-really dark in there, and I d-don't like the dark because it h-hurts-!" He whimpered and buried his face in her shoulder, trembling. More quietly than before, he whispered, "I-I'm sorry."

 

"No, sweetheart. You're fine. I don't think you did anything wrong; Tony's been very busy lately and it's making him unhappy. It wasn't right of him to push that unhappiness on you," Pepper smiled and tried to be consoling. Suddenly, she realized why Loki might not have let everyone leave so easily. "Loki, did everyone tell you what they do?" He shook his head and looked up at her. "The people who live in this tower are a team of superheroes or... warriors, I guess. They're called the Avengers, and their jobs are to protect everyone on the planet... er, realm."

 

Loki's eyes widened. That's why everyone was getting ready for battle!

 

Tears filled the boy's eyes and he quickly let loose an apology. Pepper shook her head and told him it was fine.

 

"Would you like to see some pictures of them as... warriors?" She suggested. The seven year old smiled and nodded. "JARVIS, can you pull up pictures of the team in the living room?"

 

"Certainly, Ms.Potts."

 

"Come on. We're moving to the living room." The strawberry blonde gently lifted Loki and carried him to said room. Already on the television were several images of the Avengers in full uniform from press conferences and news reports. There were also pictures people had taken of them and posted on the Internet, as well as their pictures from their SHIELD files.

 

Loki smiled softly, filled with awe. These were the people he lived with; these were the people who helped others and made sure everyone was content. These were the people who loved him and treated him like family. These people were special.

 

As the pictures drifted across the screen, the seven year old noticed one with the six Avengers and another, darker figure. The man was tall and lean, with dark hair and sharp eyes. He was chained and muzzled. The Avengers looked tense around the man, and they were covered with various wounds. Loki's breath caught in his throat.

 

That was him.

 

"I would like to paint, now," he murmured quietly to Pepper and turned away from the screen, burying his face in her shoulder again.

 

Loki did not like how  _dark_  he looked in the future.

 

"Alright. Where are your supplies?" The woman questioned and ran her fingers through his hair.

 

"My room."

 

They moved calmly through the tower, and Loki began to paint while Pepper made a 'very important phone call.' The child grabbed a piece of thick watercolor paper and his set of paint cakes and brushes. He quietly scuttled into the bathroom to grab a cup of water while Tony's girlfriend dialed the number of a certain not so genius, billionaire, philanthropist, playboy.

 

"Tony, when you get back here, I swear I am going to kill you!" She hissed into the phone and stepped out into the hall, leaving the door open a crack so she could keep an eye on her charge. "What on earth were you  _thinking_?!"

 

"Whoa, what?" The man's voice crackled to life across the speaker. Faint explosions could be heard in the background, and Natasha gave orders over the comm line, which was linked to Pepper's call. "Are you okay? Is Loki causing trouble?"

 

"Is  _Loki_  causing trouble?! No, that little angel is just struggling to not be traumatized right now!" She growled.

 

"Traumatized?! What happened? What's going on?" Tony demanded. The sound of a repulser blast caused a small explosion.

 

" _You locked him in a closet_!"

 

" _What?!_ "

 

"Don't you dare play dumb with me, Anthony Stark. I swear as soon as you get back here, we are going to have a very serious talk and I am going to punch you!" Pepper promised.

 

"What do you  _mean_  Stark locked Loki in a closet?" Natasha hissed, suddenly on the call.

 

"I mean I arrived at the tower and I heard Loki screaming. When I went to check it out, he was sobbing on the floor of a closet!"

 

"We have closets at the Tower?" Tony mumbled. "No, Pepper, no. I would never do that, I couldn't have-"

 

"JARVIS, did Tony put Loki in that closet?" The strawberry-blonde questioned angrily.

 

"I'm sorry to say he did indeed," the AI replied, sounding almost regretful.

 

"I-I did? What? No... I didn't... I didn't mean to. I'm so sor-"

 

"Tell that to Loki," the woman snapped. "You  _are_  going to apologize to him,  _and_  you are going to make it up to him. Do you want to know what he was trying to show all of you?"

 

"Pepper, please," Tony whispered. He didn't know what he was asking for, but she told him regardless.

 

"He painted a picture of the six of you as his family."

 

The team gasped collectively. Thor felt tears build in his eyes, while Steve noticed how his chest suddenly ached. Clint frowned, and Natasha let out a short growl. Tony cursed and stuttered out an incoherent apology.

 

"None of you bothered to explain to him that you were Avengers?" The woman continued, furious. "He  _apologized_  when I told him. He was sorry that he had disturbed you when you trying to help people. This whole mess could have been avoided if you told him the truth and taught him what to do. He is  _seven_. He loves you, and he was scared of being abandoned. And you shoved that right back in his face. Everyone will be sitting down tonight for dinner, and this will be discussed."

 

With that, Pepper hung up and forcefully shoved her phone back into her purse. She turned sharply and reentered Loki's room. A warm smile lit her face when she saw Loki sitting at the tiny table in the center of the room. His tongue was stuck out in concentration, and his hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. Splotches of paint were dotted across his face, and the tips of his bangs were coated in dried blue paint. His hands were a disaster, but his workspace was perfectly clean.

 

"Why did you let yourself get so messy?" Pepper questioned, seeing how precise the seven year old was being.

 

"It is better for me, who is washable, to get dirty, than the furniture, which is not so easily cleaned," the child responded after a moment.

 

"Well, as soon as you're done, I'm making you take a break so we can get you cleaned up," she stated with a small smile and sat beside him. "What are you painting?"

 

"The Avengers."

 

Pepper blinked and leaned forward to get a better look at his paper. Indeed, he was painting the Avengers, in uniform. They were shown with such detail that the woman was shocked at the skills of the seven year old. Steve bravely held his shield in front of him, his helmet against his boot. Natasha was crouched down in a fighting stance, guns pointed at two invisible figures in front of him. Thor stood with his hammer to the sky and summoned lighting to it. This cast a bright purple light on the Iron Man suit that hovered near the others, powering up the repulsers. Tony's face plate was flipped up to reveal a determined look with a trace of a smirk.

 

_Very Tony,_  Pepper noted with a smile.

 

Bruce had transformed into the Hulk and was smashing a car in the background; he looked very pleased, with his mouth twisted up in a crooked grin. Lastly, Clint stood a short distance behind the ground, his bow drawn tight with his quiver visible. Pepper noticed the start of a brown blob, and she assumed that would turn into Director Fury.

 

"This is wonderful, Loki. You're very talented," she praised warmly. He blushed but kept working.

 

"Thank you."

 

Pepper's phone rang. It was Tony, so she ignored it. She also ignored it when it kept ringing for the next ten minutes.

 

Loki finally finished his painting and left it on a piece of newspaper to dry. He quickly cleaned up his supplies before Pepper led him to the bathroom. With a sigh, the strawberry blonde grabbed a wash rag and began to gently scrub the child's face. As soon as she had him tip his head back in the sink to wash his hair, her phone rang yet again; this time it was Steve.

 

Not quite as angry with the ignorant super solider (who ever be could for long?) Pepper answered her phone. "Yes?" She could feel Steve's discomfort across the line.

 

"Um, we wanted to let you know we were on our way back, but you weren't picking up for Stark so..." The blue eyed man awkwardly mumbled. "Just in case you needed to warn Loki or... something."

 

"Alright. Thank you, Steve," Pepper responded tiredly, trying to hide the tiny bit of guilt that popped up when she realized that Tony could've have been on his deathbed and trying to say goodbye and she would have just ignored his calls.

 

"No problem," he muttered and quickly ended the phone call.

 

Pepper turned back to Loki, who had finished washing his hair for himself and was drying it. "Everyone's on their way back." The seven year old almost dropped his towel.

 

"But my new project isn't done yet," he protested mildly. "I'll just have to show them the first one when I apologize then..."

 

"Apologize?" She blinked.

 

"For hindering them from going into battle. It wasn't my place," he declared. Pepper felt like crying.

 

"Oh, sweetie. That's okay. You don't need to apologize. It's not like you actually stopped them; I'm sure everything's fine," she assured. "You can still show them your picture. Why don't we go find that frame now?" Loki nodded happily. Pepper asked JARVIS to lead them to any extra frames, and the duo found a box of unused ones in a cabinet at the back of Tony's lab. A few minutes of rifling through the cardboard container showed that there was only one that would fit Loki's painting. They happily took it and were framing the picture in the front room when everyone came back.

 

Loki stiffened, but made no other moves.

 

"I'm sorry, Loki," Natasha apologized immediately. "I won't brush you off like that again. It wasn't very nice of me."

 

"It's okay," the boy responded shyly, and played with the hem of his shirt. "Um, here. You can see it now." He held out the framed painting and Natasha just smiled and gave him a light kiss to the forehead.

 

"It's beautiful. Thank you."

 

Thor came up next and tearfully pulled his brother into a hug. The child gasped and squirmed, but his brother did not release him. "I deeply regret my previous actions, brother. It was wrong of me to push you away. I should have learned my lesson by now, but it seems I have not, and I am extremely sorry. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

 

"O-of course, big b-brother. Can I b-breathe now?" The seven year old wheezed. The blonde quickly loosened his arms but did not let go.

 

That was around the time when Pepper spotted Tony.

 

The fiery strawberry-blonde immediately stood from her seat. Her black high heels clicked on the tiled floor as she made her way across the room. In the blink of an eye, the brunette was on the ground. He grabbed at his face, clearly in pain.

 

"God, Pepper! Did Loki teach you how to punch?! Oh my gosh! What the he-"

 

Natasha gave him a kick for good measure.

 

" _Stark_."

 

Under the pressuring glares of two angry mama bears, the engineer wilted. He slowly pushed himself off the floor (hiding a wince, goodness Natasha!) and lifted his chocolate eyes to the timid child at the counter. Thor stepped slightly closer to the boy, and the women both moved closer together as if Tony was going to spring forward at any time and devour the kid whole.

 

"Loki, I... I'm really sorry. I know you were just trying to show me something, and I shouldn't have released my aggravation on you. And I apologize for locking in..." The man gulped, his own mind flashing back to his own places of darkness and all-consuming fear. "I'm so,  _so_  sorry for even putting you in the closet. I... I'm not asking you to forgive me, because I really don't deserve it." Loki gasped, but the man continued. "But I never should have done anything of what I did today. I hope that our relationship can still be... um, fixed."

 

"It's..." The green eyed boy thought for a long moment. How did he feel about all of this? The dark was scary, and it hurt, but he still wanted Tony. Tony was his Daddy now, and he was a much nicer daddy than Odin, who  _always_ ignored him and belittled him and picked away at everything about him and hit him and made him so, so sad. Tony made his life happy and bright, and he understood what real love was again. His Daddy had made a mistake, but everyone does. Loki made mistakes, and everyone forgave him for those. If he didn't forgive his  _Daddy_  for an  _accident_ , what kind of person was he? He didn't want to be like his future self, who was always sad and scared and lonely.

 

Loki bit his lip and stared at the brunette for another long moment. Tony obviously hadn't meant to lock him in the closet. He knew how Loki felt about the dark, and he showed his love so much that the boy honestly couldn't believe that his Daddy would ever do something like that to him on purpose.

 

Of course, he was still scared, but that didn't mean that he couldn't forgive Tony. He loved Tony, and Tony loved him, and people who love each other also forgive each other. If he didn't forgive Tony for a mistake like this, he clearly didn't love him or appreciate him as much as he thought.

 

Loki had certainly made up his mind as he carefully hopped down from his seat and crossed the room. Gently, he edged around Pepper and Natasha, also sending them thankful looks. He knelt down by Tony and stared him in the eyes. For some reason, the boy always knew when someone was lying, especially if he looked in their eyes.

 

The engineer looked uncomfortable, but his eyes were honest and almost tearful with how much regret swam through the dark brown pools. Loki nodded once and felt his own eyes fill with tears. He slowly wrapped his arms around Tony's shoulders. "I-it's okay," he whispered. "I forgive you. Don't be sad."

 

The man let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and quickly returned the seven year old's hug. He shakily breathed into the child's dark hair for a moment and lightly rubbed his back. Loki was quivering against him, obviously still under a lot of stress and needing reassurance.

 

"I will never,  _ever_  do anything like that  _ever_  again," Tony promised from the depth of his soul. It sounded childish, but it was the truth.

 

"Loki?" Bruce questioned softly as he entered the room, Steve and Clint by his side. When he had de-hulked, he had fallen and made a gash in his side. The bleeding wasn't too bad, but Steve and Clint had helped him to the lab for bandaging while everyone else went to see the possibly traumatized seven year old upstairs.

 

"Here," the boy responded just as quietly and slowly pulled back from Tony. "I..." The child's heart skipped a beat. "I love you, Daddy." He quickly kissed the stunned brunette's cheek and leapt behind Thor, quivering as though he was afraid to be struck.

 

"Daddy?!" Pepper cried. "When did this happen?"

 

"A few nights ago," Tony mumbled, still shocked. "There was that storm and I tucked him back into bed. Dunno when he started thinking that way... But I like it." Loki giggled nervously and buried his face in his older brother's back. Clint laughed and clapped Tony on the back.

 

"Well! We all knew this was going to happen sooner or later. I'm just glad there wasn't a woman involved!"

 

Tony spluttered incoherently for a moment. "I am with Pepper!" He managed. "And I have  _never_  gotten a woman pregnant!"

 

"Not in front of Loki!" Steve snapped.

 

With a devious smirk, Loki quickly asked the question he knew everyone was dreading. "What's pregnant mean?"

 

Steve scrambled for an appropriate answer, but everyone else rolled their eyes. Natasha lightly flicked the boy's ear. He just laughed, and everyone quickly settled down after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea where my mind originally was when I wrote this chapter; I knew I wanted Loki to end up having flashbacks, and apparently I thought that could only happen if Tony literally abused him. I have no excuse; I do not think Tony would actually do this.
> 
> Please do not lock children in closets.
> 
> These were my original notes for the chapter, since I put some notations:
> 
> "(1) When Loki was little, (we'll say eight) he thought it would be a funny prank to cut off Sif's blonde hair. Much like Rapunzel, it turned black, and she was devastated. To make up for it, little Loki tricks the dwarves into making a wig of the finest golden hair and Thor's hammer , Mjoinir. The dwarves are not very happy when they realize they've been tricked, so they sew Loki's lips shut with leather and throw him in the dungeon. Odin doesn't rescue Loki for a couple of days.
> 
> (2) Loki's third child, Fenris, was prophesied to kill Odin and swallow the moon. This was bad for obvious reasons, so the Aesir locked Loki's son in the caves deep under Asgard. They shackled him with unbreakable chains and placed a sword in his mouth to stop the howling and devouring of anything important. Despite all attempts, Loki was never able to free his child and began to resent Odin.
> 
> (3) At the end of the Thor movie, Loki fell from the Bifrost and is lost to the void between realms. There's no oxygen, light, food, or water obviously, so Loki is slowly wasting away even though he can't really die. Being immortal sucks.
> 
> (4) Thanos caught Loki as he was falling though the void, and the Chitauri tortured him into submission. If you've read the heat exhaustion theory, you understand what I mean. Look it up."
> 
> Again, this is not based on actual Norse Mythology.
> 
> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Were you afraid of the dark as a kid? Were you fine with it? I wasn't afraid of the dark, but I did have some bookcases that sent really weird shadows on my wall and made it look like there were giant monsters outside my window. Those freaked me out for years until I finally told my parents.


	12. Chapter 12

" _Pepper_ ," the panicked voice came over the phone. " _Pepper, oh gosh, I don't know what to do- he's_  gone."

 

Ever since Loki arrived, Natasha and Pepper found themselves bonding more naturally than before. Today had put them at the spa, chatting about some thing that the resident seven year old had done or how Tony had failed to compensate. The strawberry blonde's phone had rang in the middle of their soak, and she had listened to Tony's unfiltered rambling for a minute before she calmed him down enough to figure out what was going on.

 

Loki had gone missing.

 

"What do you mean  _gone_?" She demanded, immediately sitting up straighter.

 

"I-I don't know! I was in the lab, and Loki ran off to play with Steve, and then I asked JARVIS where they were, and he said they weren't in the tower! No one knows where they went, and Steve would never break rules like this, and something has to have happened, and oh  _gosh_ , Pepper? What if he's hurt? Or worse! What if he's  _dead_?!" Tony babbled.

 

"Tony-  _Tony_!" Pepper called into the phone. "No one's dead! Everything's just fine. Take a deep breath, and sit down somewhere, okay?"

 

"I-I can't! Pepper, he's gone-"

 

"I know, Tony. You said that before. Shut up and sit down." She heard the rustling of clothing, signifying that he had sat. "Now. Have you called Steve?"

 

"Do you think I'm stupid?! Of course, I called Steve! I am a genius, billionaire, not so playboy, philanthropist! You think that I  _wouldn't_  think to call him?!"

 

"It's a standard question, Tony. Do you know if anyone else saw them or was with them?"

 

"No! No one knows  _anything_!"

 

"Okay. Um..." Pepper thought for another moment before she turned back to Natasha. "Loki and Steve have gone missing and no one knows where they went."

 

"What were they doing before they disappeared?"

 

"Tony says Loki left to play with Steve. He doesn't know what happened." The two women shared a long look before sighing and giving short nods, standing at the same time and grabbing towels to start drying off. Pepper turned back to the phone and quietly instructed Tony, "Alright. We're coming back now. Don't let anyone leave the tower, and wait in one place for them to get back. I suggest the living room. Keep calling Steve's cell phone every ten minutes. We should be there in thirty minutes."

 

"Okay. Okay, Pepper," Tony breathed, obviously still panicking but trying to stop. "I'll do that. I'll-I'll turn on a movie or something-"

 

"And, Tony? No alcohol, alright?" The blue eyed woman sighed.

 

"Yes, Pepper," the man grumbled quietly. "I'll stick with the apple juice..."

 

The woman ended the call, and the duo quickly exited the spa. Natasha was a trusted customer, so when they explained there was an emergency, the staff let them go and kept the receipt so they could pay next time. The women ducked into Pepper's car and started the drive back to the tower. Jarvis gave them brief updates every ten minutes through the radio.

 

Finally, they arrived and headed upstairs to the Avengers' personal floors via the private elevator. Tony, Clint, Bruce, and Thor were anxiously gathered in the front room. Thor paced nervously, biting his thumb in thought. "This is not usual for my brother. He is not fond of the outdoors. He would not leave the tower."

 

"We know, Thor."

 

Tony's leg bounced up and down rapidly, and Clint twirled his thumbs idly. Bruce sat on the other couch and nervously sipped tea. Natasha sat beside him and decided to start a quiet conversation to fill the silence and ease the tension. Pepper followed her lead, and everyone chatted for a short while, with Tony occasionally checking his phone or attempting to call Steve.

 

After another thirty minutes, the elevator doors opened suddenly and released Steve, Loki, and... a stuffed cat? The black animal was almost larger than the seven year old, and it looked almost exactly like a real cat. The child held the toy directly under its front appendages with his arms wrapped around its abdomen. The front paws hung over his arms, and the cat's back legs and tail dangled limply in front of him. The glass eyes were a bright, electric blue, and it had a soft pink nose and velvety pink pads on its paws.

 

"Look, Daddy!" Loki called cheerfully. "Steve got me a kitty!" He held his arms higher as if to show Tony what he was talking about.

 

Instantly, the six adults sprang to their feet and began to shout protests and questions at Steve. Loki flinched and ducked behind the super-soilder. Steve glanced worriedly behind him.

 

"Guys," he called over the din. "Guys! I'll explain everything! Just calm down!"

 

"Calm?  _Calm_?!" Tony shrieked. "You want me to be calm?! You took Loki goodness only knows where  _out of the tower_  to do goodness knows  _what_! We have been searching for over an hour! You couldn't have picked up your phone one of the first ten times I called?!"

 

"I didn't have my phone on! It died while I was sparring!" Steve scowled, trying not to start a fight with Loki present but unable to resist rising to Tony's comments.

 

" _Sparring_? Is  _that_  what you were doing when Loki came?" The engineer cried. What if Loki had gotten hurt?! He was such a twig-like little thing and Steve was this big, strong super human!

 

"I didn't spar  _with_  him! He sat and watched, and we talked while I practiced! Do you  _really_  think I would endanger him?!" The blonde questioned indignantly.

 

"Well, obviously the answer is  _yes_  because you took him  _out of the tower_!" Tony snarked and gestured to the new cat toy to prove his point. "And Loki, if you wanted something, you just had to ask. You know you're not supposed to leave the tower. Don't think you're out of trouble either." Loki frowned, and big crocodile tears welled up in his eyes. Yet, he didn't protest.

 

"I always take a jog after I spar! Loki wanted to stay with me so we just went for a walk around the  _block_! There was a toy vender selling stuffed animals and I had some cash! Is that so  _wrong_?" Steve demanded angrily and tucked the seven year old into his side. He didn't like seeing kids cry, especially Loki.

 

"Yes! What if there were  _agents_  out there? What if you were mugged? What if we needed you for a mission? So many things could have gone wrong! And you put Loki in harm's way! I knew you were a bit clueless, but I never realized you were careless and stupid as well!" The smaller brunette man raged, throwing his hands in the air.

 

" _None_  of those things happened! And just because I finally decided to let Loki get out of the tower instead of locking him up tighter than  _Alcatraz_  doesn't make me  _any_  less intelligent!"

 

"Oh, so you were always dull then?"

 

"Boys, boys!" Pepper finally snapped. "You're both pretty and you've both got points to make. Tony, don't call Steve stupid- you're setting a bad example. Steve, you should have told someone before you left, especially if you were taking Loki with you. Loki, sweetie, it's okay for you to go outside with one of us but we need to talk about it first so we can make sure nothing bad happens, okay? Alright, everyone? We're all on the same page then. Good. Loki, why don't you introduce us to your new friend?"

 

Bruce breathed a huge sigh of relief, pleased that the tension was starting to fade. Thor moved forward to scoop his brother up, and Loki giggled at the attention. The dark haired child clutched his toy with one arm and looped the other around his big brother's neck. Clint settled down to clean his bow, with Natasha sitting on the arm of the chair nearest to him. Tony and Pepper slowly settled down at the bar so the brunette could refill his apple juice; Steve left the room to take a shower.

 

"What is your companion's name, brother?" Thor questioned and sat on the couch opposite from Clint, pulling the dark haired child into his lap.

 

"Name? I hadn't thought of that quite yet, I guess..." Loki thought for a short moment. "I'd really like to name him Harry, but then he'd need a Ron and Hermione." Tony choked for a quite moment and Pepper worriedly patted him on the back.

 

"Of course," Natasha smiled. "That sounds like a great name, and I'm sure we can get him some more friends soon." The boy nodded shyly and snuggled the toy closer while leaning further into Thor.

 

But that just wouldn't do.

 

Tony didn't like animals, of course, and he knew that if he'd ever had a pet it would die before the week was out. But with Pepper and the other Avengers in the tower, Tony could one-up Natasha and do better than more stuffed animals.

 

The brunette smiled wickedly to himself as he watched everyone interact with Loki and Harry the stuffed cat wizard.

 

-{[(•)]}-

 

"I don't know what you're planning, but I'm sure I'm not going to like it if that smirk is anything to go by," Pepper frowned and she walked into Tony's lab. He was working on some kind of multi-layered storage system, or so it seemed. It looked very unique, very Tony, but Pepper didn't understand why the man was now stapling carpet to it...

 

"Oh, nothing much. Just making Loki the happiest kid alive," the engineer smirked as he continued his work on the condo. The other things he'd made were hidden, with Loki having been left a note so he could find them scavenger hunt style. Tony had already seen the green eyed boy tugging Thor and Steve all over the tower. Jarvis kept him informed on their progress; they would be in the lab by the end of the hour.

 

"Hmm-mm. Sure." Pepper set a small stack of paperwork near his elbow. She didn't miss the soft noises coming from the cardboard box at the end of the lab table. "What's this?" She curiously reached out.

 

Gently, of course, Tony swatted her hand and mooed at her. "Noooooo, not yet!"

 

"Tony, have you been sleeping enough lately? You've been off ever since Steve took Loki out of the tower-"

 

"Fine! I'm fine!" He beamed, and she could  _smell_  the honesty radiating off him.

 

"Well... Alright..." She mumbled. The man went back to stapling carpet, and he seemed finished when Jarvis warned them of the arrival of Loki and the blondes.

 

"Daddy! Daddy, look at what we found!" The seven year old giggled delightedly and sprinted straight into Tony's open arms. The brunette laughed deeply and lifted him up, settling him on his hip almost naturally. Loki held out a basket of goodies, including a collar, bag of cat nip, and something that resembled a feather duster.

 

Curiously, the dark haired boy pulled out a food dish that was decorated with bands of rainbows and quietly wondered, "What does it  _mean_?" Tony smirked and bounced Loki lightly.

 

"I don't know. Maybe you're missing something?" He questioned. The child frowned and shook his head.

 

"No, we followed all the directions. They just took us here!" He murmured. Steve quirked an eyebrow and twisted his head in the direction of the noisy cardboard box.

 

"Well, maybe whatever you need to find is in here? What did they instructions say?" The brown eyed man did his best to repress a smile as Thor thoughtfully recalled each part of the scavenger hunt for him. Treasure hunts were apparently very important on Asgard, so the two brothers had easily puzzled through each of the clues.

 

" _Tony_ -" Steve suddenly hissed. He looked angry and worried all at once, which probably meant he had figured out what was in the box.

 

"What is going on?" Pepper frowned. "Tony?"

 

"Fine! You guys always ruin my fun! Here, Rudolph, is the last part of your scavenger hunt." The billionaire set the child carefully on the table beside the box. Curiously, Loki shifted forward and opened the cardboard container. Steve flinched at the high-pitched squeal that came from the boy's mouth.

 

" _Kitty_!"

 

Pepper instantly rounded on the brunette. " _Tony_!"

 

" _What_? He likes cats and I've clearly got enough money! Jarvis helped me look everything up online, and it's really not hard to take care of these things," he explained quickly and defensively. A delighted giggle came from the cardboard box and Tony shrieked when he discovered that there were now  _two_  cats. " _Where did that come from_?!"

 

"Silly, Daddy! It's me!" Loki purred happily and leapt at his new friend. The small kittens made soft noises to each other before curling up and falling asleep, Loki carefully wrapped around the tabby kitten.

 

"What...." Tony trailed off with wide eyes. Slowly, he turned to Thor. The thundered just smiled softly.

 

"Loki is a natural shapeshifter. We did not know until he had discovered his... true heritage. When Odin found him, he naturally assumed the form of an Aesir in hopes that Father would save him. He became more adept at his abilities as he grew, of course, but he is naturally able to shift into another skin as if it were his own. Now that he's willingly shown you, he will probably be whatever he desires at any time," the blonde declared, his voice full of warmth. He stepped forward at some point during his speech and scratched Loki behind one of his little black ears.

 

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, what?!" The engineer frowned. "So tomorrow morning I could walk into the kitchen, find a snake, and have to force myself not to freak out because it's probably Loki?"

 

"I doubt he would shift into a snake, Man of Iron," Thor muttered and shifted. He ran his knuckles down Loki's spine and grinned at the contented purr that escaped the kitten. "He liked small, furry animals more at this age."

 

"So a mouse then. You're going to be the one to explain that to Natasha."

 

"He could also choose to become a fluffy bird."

 

"Then I'd have a baby chicken running around, which I'm sure I could use against Clint, but that's not the point. We need to set some boundaries I guess," the brunette sighed.

 

"When he awakens, Stark," the blue eyed man assured.

 

"Can he turn into anything bigger?" Steve wondered. He wandered over and gave the orange kitten some attention as well. "Like a rhino or something?"

 

"A larger species of animal, yes, but he will still appear his age for that species. If I may, I'd like to make a conversion chart for future use. I know felines are 5 years for every human year and canines are 7," Thor responded. Tony waved away his thoughts.

 

"Jarvis will take care of that. Don't worry about it."

 

Pepper finally caved to her inner cat-lover and affectionately petted both of the kitten in sweet, gentle strokes. No part of them was safe. Everything was properly loved, from the soft spots behind their ears to the sensitive pads of their paws.

 

"This was not what I was expecting when I got him a pet..."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: What would you consider the perfect stuffed animal?


	13. Chapter 13

"I think it's time we finally started training you."

 

"What? Noooooooo!" Loki whined after looking up in shock from where he'd been playing with his new best friend, Merlin the Kitten.

 

"Yes, Loki," Tony sighed and shifted restlessly on the couch. He scratched uselessly at the cast and sling on his right arm. "After the break-in last week, I talked about it with Nat and Thor. Both of them agree that you need to be able to defend yourself. You also need to start exercising your magic more. Don't you want to be a big, strong sorcerer one day?"

 

"Yes..." The seven year old pouted. He quietly continued teasing the kitten with his fingers. "Who will I train with?"

 

"Nat was gonna teach you some self-defense moves, Thor will try to help you with your magic, and Clint was going to keep up the archery and knife-throwing lessons he's been giving you," the brunette explained wearily. "Thor knows of some books that will help you improve, I guess?"

 

"More books?" The green eyed child seemed to perk up at that.

 

"Yup."

 

"Well, if I have to," he shrugged. "When will I start my training?"

 

"Right now!" A female voice cried and Loki was subjected to a sudden tickle-attack. The boy squealed with laughter. "Lesson number one! Always be prepared!" The red headed woman pulled back from the seven year old. "Come, котенок. Let's start in the gym." The child nodded and let himself be escorted away.

 

"You okay, Tony?" Bruce questioned as he entered the room. He noticed the scratching and huffily swatted the billionaire's hands away. "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't gone down there without the suit."

 

"Well I wasn't just gonna go running around in the suit in my own building unless I knew what the threat was! I might've freaked people out, and then Pepper would have gotten on my case about productivity-"

 

"I think she might have let it go. And you need to keep taking your pain medication," the smaller brunette lightly smacked the engineer upside the head and forced a few pills into his good hand.

 

"It's fine, really! It's just my elbow-"

 

"How fair thee?" Thor asked jovially as he strolled into the room. Tony sighed and swallowed his medication, knowing Bruce would be able to get Thor on his side easily.

 

"Great, now that Tony's taken his pills," Bruce laughed softly.

 

"You wound me," the other brunette huffed grumpily.

 

"And where is my brother?" Thor wondered. He looked at where Merlin had been left to play with Tony's shoelaces.

 

"Natasha just took him down to the gym to start their training," Tony informed, already starting to get sleepy from the pain medication.

 

"Here," Bruce sighed in fond exasperation. "Let's get you to bed. You know you shouldn't have been in the lab for so long..." His voice trailed off as he led the billionaire from the room.

 

Thor spent a moment to pet Merlin and check on his food and water dishes before he too stepped into the elevator. Moments later, he stepped out on the floor that held the gym and pool. Loki and Natasha were already focused on the lesson on the other side of the gym. The blonde casually made his way over, listening as the woman instructed how to form a fist and deliver a solid punch. Loki nodded along to the lesson, but he seemed a bit confused.

 

"I'm too short," he finally blurted out before dropping his defensive pose entirely. "I won't be able to strike any important areas. A full grown Midgardian is much larger than I am, and kicks won't do anything either. My training time is best spent practicing agility, magic, and weaponry."

 

Natasha considered him for a moment. Silently, she grabbed his shoulders and moved him so she could compare him to the practice dummy. After a moment's hesitation, she sighed and decided their lessons could be spent on the obstacle course.

 

"Thank you for your assistance in training my brother, Lady Natasha," Thor grinned. He clapped her on the shoulder, amused by Loki being correct.

 

"Let's just hit the obstacle course," the spy sighed and led the seven year old to the grey-scale training area. She went to a control panel and hit a few buttons so it became a decent, immobile course. "With Tony's equipment, the obstacle course can be still or it can move. We'll start off still and work our way from there." Loki nodded, and she guided him to the beginning of the area. She quickly walked around to the other side. "Your goal is to make it across the course in under a minute."

 

"Um, okay," Loki shifted nervously. He lightly moved into a ready position, already examining the area in front of him and figuring the best path. Thor quietly stood to the side and watched the proceedings carefully. Natasha started a timer on her wrist.

 

"GO!"

 

Loki took off like a rocket. His small, light body was perfect for leaping over barriers and ducking around obstacles. Unfortunately, he wasn't perfect, and a slightly miscalculated jump tripped him and sent him tumbling to the floor. Thor looked like he wanted to rush to his brother's side, but Natasha sent him a warning look.

 

The green eyed boy made a determined sound and shakily got back up. Weakly, he finished the obstacle course and stood panting before Natasha. She barely spared her watch a glance.

 

"A minute, thirty-eight seconds," she announced. Loki made a face. He marched around to the front of the obstacle course once more and got in a ready position.

 

"Again!" He called. He could do this. He could! He had been so close! Now he knew, he needed to estimate distances and time his jumps better.

 

"GO!"

 

Loki instantly darted back into the course, taking a different path. It wasn't easier, but it was definitely faster. Again, he didn't duck at the right time and knocked into a pole, sending himself sprawling. A growl escaped him, and he hurried through the rest of the course.

 

"One minute, six seconds."

 

"Again!"

 

-{[(•)]}-

 

"Alright, Loki," Natasha sighed and pulled the boy away from the course. "That's enough for the day. You're going to wear yourself out."

 

"I'm fine!" Loki protested. "I can't do i-" A small yawn slipped past his lips, and the boy glared down as though he were glaring at his lips for compromising him.

 

"Why don't you take a bath and Thor will help you with your magic training?" The woman suggested amusedly. Loki made a disbelieving sound.

 

" _Thor_  is going to teach me magic?" He questioned. The redhead suppressed a grin and shrugged.

 

"He left this morning and said he was going to get some books about magic." Natasha didn't mention that some of the books were from adult-Loki's house and the others were from teen-Loki's room in Asgard.

 

"Okay," Loki agreed when he realized there would be books involved. He hurried off to take a bath and find his brother. Dressed in clothes that were designed to transfer magical energy efficiently- which was really just his Draco Malfoy costume, but no one needed to know that- Loki huddled down in the library with his big, blonde, older brother.

 

"I do not know how to teach you, Loki," Thor sighed regretfully. "I have gone over these books what feels like one hundred times, yet I still cannot understand. Perhaps you should train by yourself-"

 

"No," Loki said quietly. He eyes were scanning the books already. "Stay with me. I can show you." Thor watched in silence as the younger skimmed the first pages of the top journal, one from Loki's personal recordings. He already seemed to know the information, but on the seventh page, he stopped.

 

"This is the golden flower spell! The one I showed you when we first came here!" He read over the spell quickly, scanning the movement of energy and mental focus and other things Thor couldn't make sense of. "That's why I can't hold it for long! I'm doing it incorrectly!" The boy scowled and silently held out his hands. Instantly, the familiar golden flower appeared and stayed there. Loki didn't seem to exert quite as much energy or concentration as before.

 

"Here, Thor-" Loki released the flower and grabbed the thunderer's hands. He pushed them into a bowl shape. Then, he positioned his hands underneath and cast the spell again so it hovered on top of the blonde's hands.

 

Blue eyes widened.

 

"I can feel the energy," Thor whispered. "I had felt it before, but now... Now I can feel how it moves. It is very strange..."

 

"It's a different magic than your hammer, so you wouldn't feel the same type of connections. Our bodies are like magical conductors. As we practice magic, we can hold more energy in our bodies. Then, when we use that energy, it is transferred through different points." Loki stood and shifted his arms back and forth, showing how the magic danced through his arms to his fingertips. (It looks like water-bending.)

 

"Your connection with Miojnir is through soul bonding magic." The child skimmed through the book for a moment before conjuring a string. He tied one end of the string around Thor's pinky and the other around his own. "Pull on the string." Thor moved his hand and Loki was jerked towards him. "When you pull on your bond, it comes to you. Your energy is always there, shared between the two of you. A sorcerer's magic comes only from him."

 

"This is amazing!" Thor beamed and gently removed the string from them. "Why did we not study this on Asgard?"

 

"Asgard does not like change," Loki intoned wisely. "It feels it has already reached the top, and that there are no improvements to be made. But, Asgard stopped at fighting and training and war. There  _are_  levels above that. Just from a few months on Midgard and reading some of their books, I can see that in some way, the Midgardians are far more advanced than we ever were."

 

Thor shook his head, smiling softly but sadly. "Brother, sometimes I feel you should have come first, so you could have given me your wisdom. There are times I see you as a thousand years older than I."

 

"In our years, I'm still only a child," Loki grinned. Moving away from the short lesson, the boy began to read about new spells and types of magic. He demonstrated for Thor and gave explanations as he went along.

 

-{[(•)]}-

 

A week later, Clint finally got around to dragging Loki back down to the range. Tony had made a few practice throwing knives and a bow the right size for the seven year old. The arrows were also child-friendly, but Clint decided Loki could practice with the real ones and no one would have to know.

 

"You can  _see_  the target, right?" The archer finally demanded after the boy hit  _right next_  to the bullseye for the twentieth time.

 

"Of course I can!" The child snapped back, indignant. "This is a different bow than I'm used to!"

 

"And?" Clint questioned. The kid couldn't be serious. Did he really know the difference between bows?

 

"It's a completely different weight and length! Your stupid arrows are different too!" Loki pouted and stomped his foot angrily. "I'm not stupid  _or_  blind!" He threw the bow on the ground and retreated to the locker rooms.

 

"Loki!" Clint shouted. He took a step after the small boy. "Aw, Nat's gonna kill me... Hey! I didn't mean it!" He hurried to the locker rooms, hoping to find the child before he could tell Natasha or worse,  _Tony_. "I'm sorry, Loki. Loki! This isn't funny! Come out! I said I didn't mean it!"

 

The faintest of sniffles came from one of the bathroom stalls nearby.

 

"Loki?"

 

The blonde gently pushed against the stall door, finding it locked. He knocked lightly.

 

"Hey, I really am sorry, okay? I didn't mean to say you were dumb or anything. I'm not very patient, yeah? It's a problem, and you gotta work with me on it." There was no response. "Come on, Lokes. Open the door. Can't we talk about this?"

 

"I don'wanna," Loki whispered, and Clint feared for his life once more as he realized the kid was crying. Cursing himself, he turned around and leaned against the door.

 

"Yeah? Why not?"

 

"'M not good at it anymore," was the sullen mumble.

 

"What? You were pretty good! You almost hit the bullseye for most of your shots!" Clint protested.

 

" _Almost_ ," the voice stressed sadly. It echoed softly in the nearly empty bathroom.

 

"Well, yeah," Clint scoffed. "I guess I didn't think about it, but you're using a completely different bow than you're used to. You know, I've never used any other bows than my one from the circus, the one from SHIELD, and the upgraded one from Stark? I can't just pick up any bow and use it, either."

 

Loki sniffled. "Yeah, but it's my  _thing_."

 

"Your thing?" The grey eyed man chuckled.

 

"Thor's big and strong and he can use a hammer and a sword, but I'm small and light and smart and I can wield a bow and do magic and throw knives," Loki rambled his explanation, clearly upset that he wasn't as good as he thought. Clint felt a deep sympathy for the kid wash over him.

 

"I had an older brother," he admitted, tipping his head back to look up at the ceiling. Slowly, he slid down to the floor.

 

"Y-you did?" Loki's voice was much closer, and soon, a small warmth bloomed against the archer's back.

 

"Yeah. He was a jerk," the man laughed emptily. "He and his friends would bully me. And I was just this little kid, you know? I thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. We lived together at the circus; everyone liked him more than me. All I wanted was for someone to look at me, recognize what I could do." He shifted uncomfortably. These were things he had only ever told Coulson, but who was the kid gonna tell? "It's why I became an archer."

 

"Me too," Loki breathed into the quiet air. "Everyone likes Thor so much. They think he's so special and good because he's just like them. A god among fools." The boy practically spat the phrase, and Clint was reminded of his older self. Somehow, it seemed less disturbing, farther away now.

 

The green eyed child sighed, staring at the wall in front of him. "He was the worst warrior in our fighting class for a while, but everyone let him win because they were afraid to hurt the prince. No one was afraid to make me loose." The kid sounded so bitter, and Clint wanted to pull him into his arms, reassure him that there were people who loved him here. "He finally got better, and then the people really challenged him. He fought like a mighty king, with a big heavy sword and a crown of gold. But I... I was too little. I couldn't use the same weapons. And even though I knew how to beat Thor, I never could..."

 

"Loki, buddy, you're only seven," Clint interrupted jokingly. This conversation was depressing... "You can't say never quite yet."

 

"Hm? Oh, I suppose not," the boy was lost in thought now. If the archer found him behavior strange, he didn't mention it.

 

"You want to try again? I'll try to be more patient this time," Clint suggested.

 

"Sure..."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: What would you consider your best talent/skill?


	14. Chapter 14

Tony's arm was still in a cast when he finally broke back into his workshop, but it was really just an irritation at this point. Everyone kept trying to force some rest on him; he was sick of it. He was  _fine_ , and they just needed to stop getting their panties in a twist.

 

"You're not supposed to be in here."

 

"Holy-!!" Tony jumped about five feet in the air, his hand flying to the arc reactor. He turned to the doorway.

 

Loki stood there, unimpressed, with his little stick arms crossed over his little twig chest. His bright green eyes were watching him pointedly, and the engineer gulped.

 

"I gotta get some work done, bud," the brunette declared weakly and fiddled with one of the uncompleted projects on the table. "I can't go out on missions, I can't work in the lab, can't even stand up to get a drink of water-!"

 

"I guess you can stay a little bit," Loki sighed, as though he actually had an say in the matter, and moved into the workshop with him. The seven year old jumped up on a stool to Tony's left and watched him work for a while.

 

"You've got your thinking face on, kid," Tony observed after a few moments of silence. "You can ask questions if you've got'em, you know that."

 

"I know," the boy nodded slightly. "I just... I think it might be a bit... mean?"

 

The man snorted.

 

"I think I'll survive," he assured. Loki hesitated before shifting closer to ask his question.

 

"What is the... the light in your chest? Is it your heart?" He finally managed.

 

Tony blinked, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. His mind was filling with unwanted images, Afghanistan, Obie, the works. His whole body felt numb. He didn't know what to do.

 

"Tony? Daddy? I-I'm sorry," Loki reached out apologetically. "I'm sorry. Don't be sad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you-"

 

"I-It's fine, Loki," the billionaire burst abruptly. "It's just... touchy sometimes. I'll tell you." He gingerly removed his shirt (it was fine- Loki was  _seven_ ) and tapped lightly at the blue that shone out of his chest. "This is the arc reactor."

 

"Yeah?" The child prompted cautiously. "What does... What does it do?"

 

"Well, there's a bit of... background there, but basically, there's little bits of metal right next to my heart," the brown eyed man started. Loki gasped, but he let the scientist continue. "This is a device that keeps those bits from cutting through and... and killing me."

 

Tony took a deep breath.

 

"It's very pretty," the dark haired child complimented warily.

 

"Thanks," the man's lips quirked an almost involuntary grin. He'd never seen it as such before, but Loki was young and still might not grasp the full implications of having machinery directly in your chest.

 

"Does it hurt?" The boy asked. He leaned forward slightly to admire it.

 

"Sometimes," Tony admitted. He thought for a moment; a flicker of doubt flashed through his mind, but he dismissed it. "Would you like to touch it?"

 

The seven year old quickly shook his head, looking guilty. The brunette chuckled and gently reached for Loki's hand. He brought it to his chest. (Silently he waited for the tidal wave of panic, but it never came.)

 

Loki's touch was tentative and cautious at first. His fingers were barely touching the arc reactor, brushing it like the tip of a feather. When he realized he wasn't hurting the man, he gained some nerve. He explored the surface with his fingers, cataloguing information in the deep parts of his little genius brain.

 

It was a little weird to have someone touching like this and not be able to feel it, but Tony was processing some information of his own. His eyes danced across Loki's face and fingers. The boy was fascinating when he was fascinated, and he wanted to remember this moment. Despite everything that had happened, this was yet another turning point in their relationship.

 

First, Tony had to accept Loki wasn't evil.

 

Then, Loki came to see the Avengers as friends, and next as family.

 

From there, it was only a matter of time until Tony began to return the favor.

 

Even if they weren't related by blood, had once been enemies, would eventually have to separate, Loki was  _his_. His little buddy, his kid, his  _son_  for as long as the boy would accept him.

 

It was  _Tony's_  job to take care of him, teach him what was right, and  _love_  him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Have you ever broken a limb or had an injury/illness that lasted for a while?


	15. Chapter 15

"Sir, I regret to inform you that you have a visitor," JARVIS spoke quietly into the workshop. Tony stopped explaining his project to Loki and glanced at the security feed that had come up.

 

"Tell Nicky we don't need him right now. The helicarrier upgrades are almost finished, and he can have the next armor design when it's done," Tony waved his hand and turned back to Loki.

 

After a moment, JARVIS once again called through, "My protocols are being overridden. Mr. Fury is on his way up."

 

"I wanna know what's been going on in this tower, Stark!" Fury's voice echoed.

 

"Sh-Crap!" Tony whirled around to the little ears next to him. He quickly scooped up the boy and brought him to Loki's room.

 

"Daddy?" Loki whispered anxiously.

 

"Not good, not good. Okay, so remember how older you is not so nice and kinda tried to take over the world?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"That's the guy that made us stop him."

 

"Oh. Oh  _no_."

 

"STARK!"

 

"Quick, hide in the wardrobe!" Tony mumbled, patting Loki's back. "Remember, you can open the door at any time. If you feel too scared, go in the bathroom and lock the door. Or even better, hide under the bed." A tiny mew at his side drew his attention. "Oh look! You can even have Merlin with you! Stay safe!"

 

Tony hurried out to stand with the other Avengers in front of the elevator door.

 

"So, what brings you here, Oh Furious Man?" The billionaire jeered.

 

"For the past eight months, there has always been at least one Avenger in the tower. I've seen and heard reports of odd purchases and all of you with the same, oddly familiar child. So either one of you is going to tell me what you're hiding, or my agents are going to come in here and tear this place apart until we find it," Fury intoned briskly.

 

"You can't do that! That goes against the Fourth Amendment!" Steve snapped.

 

"Except I have a warrant," the bald man held out a piece of paper.

 

"Hard copy? Honestly, that's so two decades ago," Tony mocked, heart racing.

 

"So, what'll it be? The easy way? Or the hard way?" The director questioned.

 

"You can search," Clint declared suddenly, arms crossed, "but I don't want your men messing up my stuff. Just you."

 

Fury eyed him for a moment before he relented.

 

"Alright. I won't call them up. But if I find anything-  _anything_!- I will take it, and I will make sure it is not dangerous to civilians or to  _you_ ," Fury warned. He set off with a dramatic twirl of his leather coat.

 

As soon as he was out of earshot, Clint leaned over to Tony and harshly whispered, "You actually  _hid_  him, right?"

 

"Of  _course_! I'm not an  _idiot_!" The brunette hissed back. "JARVIS, keep an eye on Fury's progress, okay?"

 

"Of course, Sir."

 

Fury wove his way around the floor, from the common area to each of the bedrooms. The way he wove brought him to Loki's room much nearer to the end than any of them expected.

 

That's when the Avengers realized Loki's room still looked like he lived in it.

 

Fury pushed open the door, and everyone held their breath. Loki's artwork was plastered across the walls, his costumes and stuffed animals neatly placed around the furniture, his books scattered on every available surface, and Merlin's kitty supplies in the Cat Corner.

 

The director stopped for a moment, just staring. He slowly turned around with one eyebrow raised.

 

"Did you think I was too stupid to notice this? Or were you fools stupid enough to hope I would just pass over it? There's obviously a child living with you!" He barked.

 

"We- We-" Steve stuttered, face red at their failure to hide Loki's presence.

 

"What I don't understand is why it's so important to hide the kid! If he's one of yours, just say so! Romanov! Why didn't I hear about this in any of your reports over the last eight months!" A few accusing glares turned her way, but she didn't even shift under the pressure.

 

"It's exactly as you said, sir. I deemed it unimportant," she stated.

 

"Well... Something!" The man threw his hands up in the air. "At least mention it! What if SHEILD needs to evac the area! What if they're taken for ransom! This is at least something we should be aware of! AT THE LEAST! You could have saved all of us a lot of trouble! I wouldn't have had to come all the way down here, search through your whole house, and probably scare the wits out of the kid if I had known it  _was_  just some kid!"

 

The room was silent for a moment as Fury recollected himself and ran a hand over his weary face.

 

"Just... Just let me see the kid. I have to file an official report about this to explain the breech of your home-"

 

"No," Tony growled. Fury eyed him.

 

"I guess we know who the father is," he snapped, irritated with the whole situation. "We all know about your sleeping around-"

 

"Sir!" Clint cried angrily.

 

"-so it really shouldn't be such a surprise, but this is just another thing to put in your file- OW!"

 

"Stop being mean to Daddy!" Loki shouted, kicking Fury in the shin once more.

 

"Mother-" Fury growled and grabbed the seven year old's forearm. Steve, Tony, and Natasha immediately took a step forward. Thor rumbled as thunder cracked just outside the window. Merlin darted from the wardrobe to bit Fury as hard as he could. The man cried out in pain again, tightening his grip on the boy's arm. Loki cried out softly and tried to pull away.

 

"Everyone stop!" Bruce ordered. His eyes were a brilliant, toxic green, but he seemed perfectly in control. Everyone stuttered to a halt. "Let go of him." As soon as Loki was free, he darted behind Bruce, sensing he was the safest at the moment. "We're all going to take a deep breath and step back."

 

"Stark needs to keep a lid on that brat!" Fury snapped.

 

"Shut it!" Bruce retaliated. He just breathed for a moment before he turned to the child clutching at his pant legs. "Are you alright?"

 

"Just scared," Loki put a hand on his heart and scowled. "Older me didn't like him either."

 

"Older him?" Fury blanked. "What does he mean?" He looked around for an answer.

 

Surprisingly, it was Tony that stepped forward. His arms were crossed defensively, his weight shifted on to one side. His glare was dark and promised a long, painful death if Fury didn't control himself.

 

"Fury, meet  _Loki_. He's  _seven_ , and  _we're_  watching him until further notice," the genius, billionaire, and former Merchant of Death explained. Fury looked back and forth between the child and the other Avengers.

 

"I am so mother-"

 

"Language," Steve bit out. He gave a meaningful glance to Loki, making Fury drag a hand over his face.

 

"Fine. I am so done with all of your... problems. You want to help a super-villain? Fine. You want to raise an alien child? Have at it. But just know, if this ends up poorly, if any civilians are hurt or he tries to take over the world again, I will not be able to help you. You're on your own."

 

The director left the building.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Who has seen those little comics where Fury acts as a father figures to the Avengers, or where they get de-aged and he has to take care of them? There's the one where Thor keeps slobbering on Mjolnir; I love that one. :)


	16. Chapter 16

"Alright, I don't know how, but somehow Loki has lived here for almost a year and hadn't seen a movie," Tony snapped over the intercom. "I know I tried to introduce him, so what's up with all'a you?"

 

"We were too busy getting him to read Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, and the Lord of the Rings," Natasha deadpanned.

 

"There are  _movies_  for those!" Tony huffed.

 

"I was teaching him to draw."

 

"We were working on his magic."

 

"He needed to learn how to defend himself if you remember?"

 

"Someone wanted to get him a cat."

 

"Excuses, excuses!" Tony waved away their statements. "I'm trying to say we need to remedy this grievous error. I am declaring a Family Movie Night in the common room at 6:00 tonight! Be there! Or  _else_."

 

-[]-

 

"What is a movie?" Loki asked.

 

"It is a most marvelous thing, brother!" Thor exclaimed.

 

"It's like a moving picture," Steve grinned. They'd had movies back before the ice, but there had been amazing advancements since then, especially in the special effects department. "It's a story you can watch."

 

"Alright, what should we start with? We've got Disney, but Jarvis pulled up a few other kid movies to start with. I thought maybe we'd start Loki off easy-"

 

"Disney is easy? Everyone dies!" Clint cried.

 

"Wow, way to ruin it," Tony snapped.

 

"What about the Harry Potter movies?" Bruce suggested. "We know Loki'd like those."

 

"Harry Potter?" Loki questioned with a surprised smile.

 

"I wanted to show him something new!" Tony whined.

 

"You have been getting him interested in science, yeah?" Natasha asked. "What about the Astro Boy movie that-"

 

"We do not talk about that," Bruce and Tony declared at once.

 

"Avatar: The Last-"

 

"Or that."

 

"Well then what do you think he should watch?!" Clint threw his hands up.

 

Tony and Steve shared a look.

 

"Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog."

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

"Tony, that's a terrible idea. I thought we were starting him off easy?" Pepper replied. A few others nodded.

 

"Let's just go back to Disney, it's at least more kid friendly."

 

"I vote Beauty and the Beast!"

 

"Meet the Robinsons!"

 

"My brother would most enjoy the King of Lions!"

 

"Oh my gosh, Thor! No way!"

 

"If I may add my input..." Jarvis's voice came from the ceiling. Everyone but Tony looked up.

 

"Shoot, J."

 

"Would Loki enjoy the Artisocats?"

 

"Oh my gosh."

 

"Why didn't we...?"

 

"That's perfect..."

 

"Of course!"

 

The AI pulled up the movie, and everyone settled in to watch. Clint passed out bowls of popcorn, pretzels, crackers, chips-

 

"How much food did you think we'd need?!" Tony yelped as another bowl was put in front of him.

 

"What? Dude! It's a movie night! Gotta have variety, right? There's also orange soda, Sprite, Coke, root beer, Diet Coke, Mountain Dew-"

 

"We are not giving Loki caffeine," Bruce rolled his eyes. He went to the fridge and poured the seven year old a glass of apple juice. The boy accepted it happily and turned his eyes back to the television.

 

"When shall the Cats of Aristo begin?" He asked.

 

"No, Loki," Natasha smiled. "It's Aristocats, like  _aristocrat_."

 

"Oh," the child thought for a moment. "Okay. Let it begin, then!"

 

Jarvis gave the closest sound to an electronic laugh and started the cartoon.

 

Loki watched with interest until the mama cat and her kittens were kidnapped and dumped under the bridge. He began to panic then, making Jarvis quickly pause the movie.

 

"No! No!" The seven year old cried. He grabbed at Tony's pant leg. "They were happy! Why did they get taken away!"

 

"Loki, it's not rea-" Natasha started, but Tony shushed her and gently scooped Loki up into his lap. He awkwardly adjusted them for a moment. The genius hadn't really adjusted to his fatherly role all the way, but he was prepared to help Loki even if it was a discomfort to himself.

 

See, Steve? He could be selfless.

 

"Loki, think about what just happened. What led to the... kitties being taken?" He asked.

 

"They were playing, and the rich lady was working on her will. The servant heard she was leaving her wealth to the cats, then to him.... But cats don't live that long! He could have waited!" Loki frowned.

 

"Yeah, he could have, but he let his greed get the best of him. He wasn't a bad servant, but he wanted the rich lady's stuff more than he wanted to keep being a good guy. The movie teaches us that lesson, that we can't let the bad things control us," Tony tried to explain. The child thought about it for a moment.

 

"Like older me. He let the bad things get him and that's when he started to be bad," Loki compared.

 

"I- Well-" Tony paused for a minute.

 

"We're not sure that older Loki was bad," Pepper managed to say, finally. "In fact, there might have been... someone else... forcing him." Loki tensed up a little, flashes of darkness, blue light, and purple shooting through his mind.

 

"You better now? We should keep watching the movie," Clint said. His eyes tracked all of Loki's movements. He understood exactly how Loki would be feeling- the guilt, the insecurity, the anxiety. It wasn't something anyone should have to go through, much less a seven year old.

 

The dark haired boy broke out of his thoughts and nodded quietly to Clint, practically begging for a distraction with his eyes. Those flashes and thoughts were happening more and more often now, and he was afraid of what would happen when the barriers in his mind finally fell.

 

Jarvis started the movie again, and the family watched as the main characters saved themselves from a monster's greed. Tony and Pepper snuggled Loki close, Thor made sure he had plenty of the delicious snacks, and Natasha read a story to him before bed to make up for her failure to reassure him earlier. Clint felt slightly closer to Loki, almost like another older brother.

 

Steve proposed a Family Movie Night whenever they had an available Friday, and the others agreed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: What movie would you want to watch with tiny Loki and the Avengers? What's your favorite movie?


	17. Chapter 17

"What are we doing here?" Loki asking, clenching his hand are Clint's in uncertainty. The archer looked down at him reassuringly.

 

"Everyone's busy today, but Fury knows about you now so we can drop you off for... babysitting," The light haired man grinned wickedly. Loki looked around the room that was mainly blacks and greys. People in matching suits ran around with papers and small screens. There were also a lot of people sitting at clunky versions of the machines in Daddy's lab- computers?

 

"But where are we?" The seven year old questioned. The mean, one-eyed man from before had finally spotted them and was raising a ruckus as he made his way across the room to them.

 

"Welcome to the helicarrier, kid," Clint smirked. The dark skinned man came to stand in front of them, and the archer let his face fall behind a mask of boredom. "Director Fury."

 

"Cut the... crap, Barton," the bald man snapped, glancing down at Loki. "Why'd you bring the kid?"

 

"Poor planning, sir," Clint shrugged slightly. "Stark and Potts are in meetings all day, Banner is recovering from the last Hulk-Out, Rogers is on that mission you sent him on with Nat, and I'm here to train the baby agents."

 

"And what about Thor? Surely he can watch his brother?" Fury growled.

 

"Back in Asgard. Got called back last night. Some important feast or something with ambassadors from another realm," Clint informed casually.

 

"And what did you want me to do about it?" The director demanded. "If you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of several operations that are extremely important to international security."

 

"Oh, we don't expect you to watch him personally, sir. He's got some stuff to entertain him; just put a baby agent on it. We realized we can't leave him alone after... last time," the archer winced slightly at the last statement. Fury raised an eyebrow but didn't question it.

 

"Fine," he relented. He put his hand up to his earpiece. "Hill, send one of the new recruits to one of our interrogation rooms. They need to have at least basic training. And maybe a background in childcare."

 

Clint smiled down at Loki and nudged him towards the man.

 

"I'm sorry for kicking you," he muttered, crossing his fingers behind his back. The grey eyed man noticed and tried hard not to laugh.

 

"It doesn't matter. Let's get you out of here," Fury grumbled. He grabbed the kid's hand and began to pull him towards the interrogation rooms.

 

-[]-

 

"Agent..."

 

"Bouclier, sir."

 

"Agent Bouclier, this is Stark's... ward? Son? I don't know what to call him," Fury mumbled and rubbed the bridge of his nose in agitation. "I'm putting you on babysitting duty."

 

The younger man opened his mouth to protest, then seemed to reconsider his position and nodded quietly. "Of course, sir."

 

Fury eyed him, impressed. He knew this one was supposed to be starting basic training today, but he had apparently agreed to watch the kid instead.

 

"Agent Bouclier, we can consider this your basic training, if this is as difficult as I think it will be," the director commented lightly and left the room. The man's jaw dropped as he watched the bald man leave.

 

Eventually, he managed to gather himself and turned to the impossibly short boy standing next to the interrogation table. He crouched down and extended his hand for a handshake.

 

"Hey, kid. I'm Evan Bouclier, but you can just call me Evan. What's your name?" He started.

 

The boy gingerly clasped his wrist instead of his hand. He smiled up at the man, slightly hesitant but mostly pleased. "I am Loki, of Asgard, s-son of Anthony Stark and brother of Thor!"

 

All air left Evan's lungs in one big  _woosh_.  _What have I gotten myself into?!_

 

-[]-

 

Later, Loki sat at the metallic table, filling in an Avengers coloring book with a fix of paint, crayons, and magic. Evan had learned quickly enough that Loki was about as threatening as a butterfly.

 

Agent Barton had stopped in during him break to see how Evan was doing. Loki had greeted the more experienced agent with a hug and bright smile. They had chatted for a few minutes before Barton encouraged Loki to go read one of the books he brought. Then, the older man had pulled Evan aside and sincerely threatened him within an inch of his life if he hurt the kid from all the Avengers. Then the famous archer smiled pleasantly, wished Loki goodbye, and left.

 

Evan had warily kept his distance from Loki for the next hour before the boy seemed to get bored of his book and wanted to play with stuffed animals. They had played an odd crossover between Harry Potter and the Avengers. Loki had only brought three animals, but they made it work.

 

Finally, it was lunchtime and Evan decided, in all his wisdom, that they should get out of that stuffy room and go on a walk around the helicarrier. Being a low level agent, Evan couldn't take them everywhere, but Loki seemed happy to stretch his legs and ask questions about what they could see. At the end of their walk, they found themselves on the main observation deck.

 

They entered the room to a bit of ruckus. Tony Stark stood proud in the middle of the room, dressed in a sharp suit and sunglasses. The billionaire barked out orders and shouted for everyone to hear his anger. Pepper Potts stood beside him, quiet but just as angry. Her cheeks stood out a blotchy red compared to her slim white suit.

 

Director Fury stood in the distance, head bowed and in his hands.

 

Finally, Stark screamed something that really got Evan's attention.

 

" _I want you to find my kid!!_ "

 

The agent froze in shock and impending horror. Loki clutched his hand, unaware of his mounting panic. Instead the boy burst into a wide smile and darted forward.

 

"DADDY!"

 

Stark instantly spun around and caught the kid in his arms. The man brought the child close. They stayed huddled like that for a full minute, everyone in the room afraid to move, until Stark turned his terrifying fury on Evan.

 

" _You!_ "

 

"Me?" Evan squeaked, pointing to himself.

 

"Daddy, Daddy!" Loki bounced up and down, and Tony instantly looked at him. "That's Evan! He played with me and drew with me and showed me the lab where you and Bruce found the Tesseract and some really cool Midgard technology like my books and-"

 

"He did  _what_?!" Director Fury snapped.

 

"We only went where I had access, sir! Loki was getting cooped up in the interrogation room-"

 

"WHAT?!" Pepper and Tony shouted and rounded on Fury.

 

"It's not like we have a daycare center!" The one eyed man shouted back.

 

The room seemed to explode into chaos, with everyone yelling and fighting. Evan ducked behind one of the computer units. Loki joined him after a few minutes, looking scared but mostly amused. The fighting died out after another ten minutes or so, and Stark called for Loki so they could eat together.

 

-[]-

 

Loki stayed with Evan in one of the smaller conference rooms until dinner, when  _Black Widow_  and  _Captain America_  came to pick him up. Agent Romanov did a quick sweep of the room, and Captain America squatted down to chat happily with Loki about his day.

 

The seven year old yawned in the middle of talking about the game they had played after lunch, and Cap. Rogers scooped the boy up on to his hip. Agent Romanov grabbed the boy's bag, and they left with a quick thanks for his patience and time.

 

Evan followed them out into the hall and watched them leave, shell shocked.

 

Before he left work that evening,  _Agent Hill_ came to  _personally_  tell him he would only have to complete half of his basic training and that Stark had left a box for him. Evan was numb as he received the box, which was filled with copies of Loki's drawings.

 

A small smile lit the man's face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Have you ever babysat someone, or been babysat (babysitted?) ?


	18. Chapter 18

"Alright, Loki," Tony squatted down to his level. Steve and Bruce bustled around in the background. Natasha was in the kitchen, and Thor was flying supplies up to the balcony from the ground floor. "I've got a super special secret mission for you!"

 

"Really?" The seven year old held Harry and Merlin close to his chest. The real kitten squirmed a little but settled down after a moment. "What is it?"

 

"I need you to do everything you can to keep Clint out of the common area, okay?"

 

"Even magic?" Loki eyed him warily.

 

"If it comes to that..." Tony rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, go ahead. Knock yourself out. Just keep him away, okay?"

 

"Okay!"

 

"Alright, go, now, before he tries to come up here!"

 

Loki nodded and darted away.

 

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Natasha asked.

 

"Jewlery cuff-links!" The man startled, hand over the arc reactor. "Don't do that! Hasn't anyone ever told you that before?!"

 

"Of course," she allowed a smirk for a moment. "But the question still stands. Are you sure Loki can keep Clint away?"

 

"Have you ever seen the kid when he's serious about something?" He shook his head. "It's pretty impossible to distract him or pull him away."

 

"Alright, if you're sure," she shrugged and slipped back into the kitchen.

 

" _Jewelry cuff-links?_ "

 

-{[(•)]}-

 

"Clint!" Loki moaned, trudging up to the light haired man. "No one will play with me!"

 

The archer wiped his face with the towel around his shoulders.

 

"Sorry, kid. Just finished a workout. Was gonna hit the showers and grab a snack," Clint explained. Loki stared at him for a moment before simply slumping to the ground. The boy stared at the ground for a few moments until little drops of water hit the metallic floor. "Whoa! Hey, what's with the waterworks?"

 

Loki sniffled and let Merlin loose in the circle of his legs.

 

"Seriously, Loki, what's up?" Clint asked. "Do I need to get Tony?"

 

"Everyone's always too busy to play with me," Loki mumbled. Harry was squished against his chest, looking pitiful and limp. "I-I thought..."

 

"Thought what?"

 

"That'id be different here," the tiny child looked up with wide eyes, shining and moist, and a trembling lower lip.

 

(Somewhere in the common area, Tony was snickering and nudging Steve, commenting how the boy could really lay it on thick.)

 

"Oh... Loki," Clint muttered. He glanced around, but he was still the only one there. How did he deal with this situation?

 

"I guess... I can play with you?"

 

"Really?" Loki questioned, softly. He had to fight to keep the excitement off his face. He did it!

 

"Yeah, sure," the archer turned away for a second.

 

"Thank you," the boy breathed, trying to seem as grateful as possible.

 

"There's... There's no need to thank me kid," Clint gulped. "People, um, are supposed to play with you." He was gonna  _kill_  Tony.

 

"What do you wanna play?" Loki asked.

 

"Ah, I don't really know any games. I didn't really..." The man sighed. "Um, maybe we could play a board game?"

 

All the board games were stored in the common room.

 

"I don't really like those..." Loki shook his head.

 

"What? I see you playing them all the time!"

 

"Tony would be really sad if he bought them and I didn't like them," Loki shrugged. Clint laughed slightly.

 

"Alright, how about... Hide and Seek?" He suggested. He rubbed the towel over himself some more; he was going to stink later, but he couldn't just abandon Loki!

 

"Cool! But... I, um..." Loki mumbled.

 

"What?" Clint sighed.

 

"Don't... Don't leave the gym?" The boy wiped at his eyes. "Thor's friends used to... to hide... and I could never find them. Because they... left."

 

"Aw," the man frowned. "'Course I'll stay in the gym."

 

("The kid's a genius!!")

 

"Alright! I guess, I'll count?" Loki questioned, tilting his head innocently to the side. Clint shrugged. The seven year old covered his eyes with both hands and began to count down from twenty.

 

The light haired man smirked and slipped to the wall. He made quick work on the equipment, then flipped to one of the rafters. Just as Loki reached one, he laid down flat.

 

"Okay! I'm coming!" Loki toddled upright excitedly. He scuttled across the room, looking behind racks and around equipment. He made his way along the wall to the lockers and looked inside. Then, he checked under the sparing ring. He even checked inside the practice droids.

 

He stalled as long as he could, searching for almost ten minutes, before he started to get a little frustrated. Had Clint left even though he said he couldn't?

 

"Clint?" He called softly. He tried looking in the bathrooms and showers, but the archer wasn't there either. Were there any other rooms that could be considered part of the gym?

 

"I can't..." The boy sniffled. "Where'd you go?"

 

Up in the rafters, Clint started to feel a little guilty. Loki couldn't get up there, no matter how much he tried; he was just too little. Plus, what little kid would think to look in the ceiling?

 

"Up here," he sighed and leaned over, waving so Loki would notice him. "I didn't really think about it. Sorry."

 

The child stared up at him with awe.

 

"How'd you get up there?" He called.

 

"Like this!" Clint grinned. He flipped back down to the equipment, landing lightly on his toes and rolling back to his heels. He safely climbed back down, and Loki ran up to him happily.

 

"Can you take me up there?!"

 

" _I do not think Sir would be pleased with tha_ t," JARVIS advised, sounding amused.

 

"Aw," Loki pouted. His face sprung back into a blinding smile. "It's my turn to hide!"

 

"Okay," Clint smirked. He closed his eyes and began to count.

 

Loki turned into a baby mouse and darted towards the lockers. He curled up just underneath the locking mechanism, so he was practically invisible.

 

"Here I come!" The man cried. He slunk around the room, dramatically peeking around things. His sharp eyesight picked up as many details as they could. "Huh. Little bugger's better than I thought."

 

He drifted towards the lockers and casually opened each one. At first, he didn't notice anything, but eventually his eyes caught on the tiny swishing tail sticking out of the lock.

 

"Oh my gosh!" He laughed loudly, startling the little mouse. "How'd you  _fit_  in there?!" Loki turned around and peeked out, pouting.

 

He leapt to the ground and transformed back into a seven year old boy.

 

"Secret," he muttered. Clint's entire body shook with laughter.

 

-[]-

 

"Hey, guys," Tony smiled, entering the room. "Loki, Natasha was to talk to you real quick, okay?"

 

The seven year old knew it wasn't the appropriate response of a child to just do as they're told.

 

"But, Clint and I-"

 

"Can finish later," Tony cut him off with a chuckle. "I need to talk to Katniss about his bow."

 

"What did you do to her?!" Clint pointed aggressively. The genius winced.

 

"Let's just say that 'she' can probably be classified as a 'he'?"

 

" _STARK!_ "

 

-[]-

 

"C'mon, Loki," Natasha smiled. "We have to finished icing Clint's cake and figure out what you're going to give him." She held her hand out, which he took, and led him into the kitchen.

 

"I do not understand," his head tilted like a confused kitten. "Why are we making a cake for Clint and giving him gifts?"

 

"Oh!" The redhead made an amused noise as she finished fixing him with an apron. "Today's Clint's birthday."

 

"Birthday?"

 

"You know, the day he was born?"

 

"We do not celebrate such days on Asgard," Thor leaned in for a moment before swinging back out.

 

"Which is odd because we celebrate  _literally_  every other thing," Loki rolled his eyes.

 

"I bet you're trouble as a teenager," the assassin laughed gently and guided him to the cake. She handed him a piping bag and showed him how to decorate.

 

Loki did the purple trim around the edges of the cake and the quilt-like pattern across the sides. Then, he helped put the edible arrow charms where the lines intersected and the candles around the horrifically colored "Happy Birthday, Clint!"

 

Natasha showed him the edible figures she had made of the Avengers, and they put them on the cake together.

 

"Do you always celebrate 'birthdays' in this way?" Loki asked.

 

"Everyone likes different things," Steve answered, helping them move the cake to the table in the main room. It had to be big enough to feed Steve, Thor, and everyone else. So it took up most of the space.

 

Gifts seemed to appear around the edges of the cake, and Loki realized he didn't have one to give.

 

Thinking of a spell he had practiced earlier in the week, he began to craft a glass figure in the palm of his hand. He was finishing the last details when Tony's frantic voice came over the intercom.

 

" _Clint's on his way up!_ "

 

The brunette leapt out of the elevator, moments later, and everyone scrambled to hide. Except Loki, who has to be pulling into hiding by a highly amused Bruce.

 

"Natasha!" Clint threw his hands in the air as he marched into the room. "You won't believe what Tony did to my bo-"

 

"SURPRISE!" The Avengers jumped out with wide smiles.

 

"Su'prise!" Loki cried a second later, falling off the couch.

 

"Oh... Oh!" Clint beamed. He clapped excitedly and darted forward. "Aw, you even got me a cheesy cake."

 

"I can assure you, there is no cheese in the cake," Loki mumbled awkwardly.

 

"No, cheesy means silly," Steve explained quietly, as Clint began to chatter with everyone.

 

"There was a moment there, I thought you guys had forgotten!" The archer cackled. "Loki came in crying and Tony screwed with my bow and I... Just, wow."

 

"We sent Loki in to keep you away. Seems like someone might be a better liar than we thought," Bruce chuckled softly.

 

"And your bow's fine, Legolas," Tony waved casually. "Any unwanted... parts are easily removable."

 

"Thanks," Clint gave a lopsided grin. "Now. Cake!"

 

JARVIS dimmed the lights and began recording while Steve lit the candles. (He was the only one they trusted with fire.) Then, everyone sang 'Happy Birthday', Loki cutely trying to sing along and Tony purposefully singing horribly off-key. Clint blew out about half the candles in one big  _whoosh_ , and he had to move around the table to the opposite side to blow out the other half.

 

It took almost ten minutes to get everyone a cake slice, and then everyone settled down to watch a movie. Clint wanted to finally watch Brave, and so they did.

 

When the movie was over, everyone moved back to the table for more cake and to watch Clint open gifts.

 

"Here, open this one first," Tony shoved a package in the archer's face and ignored Natasha's glare.

 

Clint opened it, happily finding chocolate, a fuzzy scarf, a candle, and an amazing rose figurine. The gift was from the other assassin in the room, giving him things to enjoy with the four senses he still had.

 

He then opened Tony's gift, which was reactor-powered hearing aides.

 

Steve had given him a giant coupon book for every restaurant in New York.

 

Thor gave him new fingerless gloves and Asgardian hand lotion.

 

From Bruce, he received specialized prank supplies, including stink bombs, smoke bombs, slime bombs, and flash bombs.

 

When he reached Loki's gift, he was almost crying with happiness. His teammates were so thoughtful. They may not alway show it, but they paid attention and cared about him.

 

His hand stuttered to a stop, just before it reached the crystal figure. It was Hawkeye, standing confident and tall, with his bow in hand, quiver across his back, and sunglasses tipped teasingly.

 

The archer's eyes ran over each detail like water, noticing the amazing craftsmanship and dedication to his image. His calloused fingers drifted across the glass, light as a feather.

 

"Who's this from?" He asked. His voice sounded stronger than he thought it would.

 

"Me," Loki answered, quietly. Clint gave him a grin and gestured him closer.

 

"Thanks, kiddo." The man pulled the dark haired boy in for a hug.

 

"I-It was no problem," Loki stuttered, still a little unused to a lot of friendly contact, especially from Clint.

 

"Alright, it's getting a little sappy in here," Tony grouched. He gestured dramatically. "It's time for the big surprise!"

 

"There's more?!" Everyone questioned.

 

"Yup. We're having...."

 

JARVIS played a recording of a drumroll over the speakers.

 

"...a sleepover!"

 

Tony opened the pantry with a flourish, revealing adult-sized, Avengers themed sleeping bags with matching pillows. JARVIS opened the elevator and DUMMY rolled out with pajamas for everyone.

 

"Really?" Bruce sighed, already cleaning his glasses in distress.

 

"Come  _on_! It'll be great! We'll watch movies and eat cake until the early hours of the morning, when we'll all collapse into an eternal sugar coma!" Tony pumped his fists enthusiastically.

 

"If I can have more of this delicious cake, then I am, as you say, 'out'."

 

"You mean 'in', Thor."

 

"Yes, I am 'in'."

 

There was a short silence.

 

"I've always wanted a sleepover," Clint admitted, sounding small.

 

Suddenly, everyone agreed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Are sleepovers a common thing for you, or are they only for special occasions? Have you ever been to or had a sleepover? Thoughts?


	19. Chapter 19

The next morning, Loki sat up from where he'd been curled on the couch with an adorable yawn. He looked over the common area, seeing each of the Avengers tucked in sleeping bags and sleeping peacefully.

 

The seven year old felt the call of nature, so he quietly climbed down from the couch and padded over to his bedroom. After he finished his business, he decided to paint some of his favorites moments from the night before. He was feeling kinda twitchy; painting always calmed him down.

 

Not fifteen minutes later, JARVIS's voice stuttered over the intercom. "S-Sir...  _Zzzzphhh_... Intru-  _Zzzzzzzppbbb_... Warni-"

 

"Jarvis?" Loki called, looking up. He heard odd  _pitter-patter_ ing on the floor and windows. The twitchy feelings intensified. "Is something going on?"

 

"I-I-Intruder Al-l-ler-ler-lert-" JARVIS managed.

 

Panic exploded in Loki's chest and raced through his limbs like fire in his blood.

 

"W-what do I do?!" He cried. The Avengers were asleep, and he was too far away to reach them safely! What if the intruder found him?!

 

Without a thought, Loki scurried to the wardrobe, turned into a mouse, and curled up in a shoe. Maybe if he hid, the Avengers could take care of everything. That's what happened with the one-eyed man, right?

 

The dark of the wardrobe filled his mind with twitchy thoughts, and he spent most of his time trying not to panic. His head was pulsing again. Something was pushing against the sides, trying to get out-

 

Suddenly, light poured into the wardrobe. Two disgusting hands reached in and plucked him up. The hands belonged to a disgusting body, like that of an insect, which led up to a disgusting head, covered in golden armor like a twisted machine.

 

_Chitauri_.

 

Something screamed and Loki writhed, transforming back into a human and trying to get away. His eyes blown wide and his throat sore, he fought with everything he had. His magic blew around the room; chaos erupted from everything the energy touched.

 

The something in his head grew louder, pushing against his mental barriers until he couldn't fight anymore.

 

"LOKI!" Tony cried, throwing the door open.

 

Less than a minute after JARVIS's alert, the child was gone.

 

-{[(•)]}-

 

Loki was sobbing and hiccuping loudly, which reverberated noisily off the walls of the cell the monsters had thrown him into. They wanted something from him and kept demanding things, but he couldn't understand a word they said.

 

They had put some chunky golden cuffs on his wrists, and now his magic felt very far away. The longer his magic stayed away, the weaker he felt and the more frightened he got and the more he just wanted his  _daddy_!

 

The aliens entered the room sometime while he was sobbing so hard he couldn't see, and they put some kind of technology in his ear. When they started chittering and snapping, he could hear their voices.

 

" _Dark One! You must return to our employer! He is angry!_ "

 

" _You have failed him! You will be punished most severely!_ "

 

"No! No!" The seven year old wept, too frightened and exhausted to say much else.

 

" _You must return to him!_ "

 

" _He is most mad!_ "

 

"No! No!"

 

" _Return to your master!_ "

 

" _Dark One! Take up your true form and accept you punishment like a good servant!_ "

 

"NO!! No, no, no, nonononono!!!!"

 

One of the aliens began to shake him. He couldn't put up any resistance. They kept screaming at him.

 

"WHO?!" He finally managed. He didn't understand anything, but maybe if he could go to this 'master' they would leave him alone.

 

" ** _Thanos..._** "

 

And his mind immediately shut down.


	20. Chapter 20

"Loki!" Tony cried out. He stepped further into the room. "Loki?" He swayed for a moment, then seem to be unable to move any further. "Loki..."

 

"LOKI!" Thor burst into the room. He tore through the room, trying desperately to find his brother.

 

"Jarvis, where's... where's Loki?" Tony questioned numbly. He slowly looked up to the ceiling. Steve and Natasha filled the doorway.

 

"The intruders grabbed the Young Sir and disappeared, accompanied by a strange energy reading..."

 

"Find a way to track it," Tony latched on to the information. "I'm going down to the lab. Get Bruce to follow."

 

"Yes, Sir."

 

"Jarvis, what else can you tell us?" Steve demanded, as Tony swept out of the room.

 

"The intruders used some kind of technology to distort the input to my cameras and other sensors, but by Young Sir's reaction.... I believe they were members of the Chitauri," Jarvis informed, sounding slightly hesitant.

 

Natasha cursed and disappeared. Thor's entire body stilled, then seemed to rumble. The clouds outside the building began to darken and swirl chaotically. Lightning flashed, and thunder boomed across New York.

 

"I must return to Asgard!" He shouted and exited the room. "Surely, my mother will be able to aid us, and I can speak with Heimdall..." His voice cut off as the doors to the elevator closed.

 

Steve returned to the common room, only to find it empty. Sleeping bags and pillows were strew across the floor and couch. Leftover cake was still on the counter. Clint's gifts were wedged slightly under the couch.

 

Steve turned on his heel. His entire body ached with sudden, cold fury. He suited up faster than he could ever remember. He stormed down to the lab, ready to do whatever Tony needed in order to find Loki.

 

"Hey, Steve," Bruce mumbled when he entered. Tony didn't even look up. The genius was standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by holograms and computer screens. He was tapping rapidly, muttering commands, flipping through information faster than Steve could even read the first line.

 

"How can I help?"

 

-[]-

 

"You WHAT?!" Fury burst, slamming both hands down on the table. "You  _lost_  the God of Chaos."

 

"No, sir," Steve growled. "He was  _taken_. We're doing everything we can to get him back, but we need help. If anything happens to him or he is forced to do something or God even  _knows_ , the entire Earth could be in danger."

 

"Stark and Banner are tracking the energy. Romanov and Barton are going through camera feeds and collecting favors. Thor is in Asgard. How could we  _possibly_  help?" The director demanded.

 

"You've got access to the World Council. So you've got access to everything."

 

-[]-

 

"We've got a ping," Bruce announced abruptly, sitting up straight than he had in any of the past fourteen hours.

 

"I can see that," Tony whispered, breathless.

 

"The energy matches up perfectly," Bruce typed rapidly on the keyboard, searching deeper into the information. "The energy first started around the time L- he was taken."

 

"Where is it?" Tony mumbled, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

 

"The energy signal is being received from the lower Indian Ocean," Jarvis announced. He pulled up a hologram of the area on a map.

 

"Near Australia?" Tony questioned. "But why?"

 

Bruce suddenly burst into laughter. Tony looked at him worriedly, stumbling over to make sure he was okay.

 

"Jarvis, what's going on? Why is Brucie-"

 

"It's- It's..." Bruce giggled. "It's the exact opposite side of the world from New York! It's..... Literally the farthest the could go while still staying on the planet!" Tony snorted.

 

"These are some dumb minions, I'll tell ya that much."

 

-[]-

 

With permission from the World Security Council and a quinjet, the Avengers flew out to the coordinates. When they arrived, they found a strange metal ship, floating on the surface. It looked like it had mostly been destroyed, and on closer inspection, they found Loki in the middle of the destruction.

 

The Avengers rushed to his, surrounding him on all sides and trying to wake him. Bruce was checking for injury, but they found nothing more than some dark patches of dirt on his skin.

 

The sky seemed to crack open then, and with a brilliant accompanying light-show, Thor was standing beside them. The thunderer swept in, scooped up his brother and cradled him close.

 

"Why won't he wake?" The blonde demanded.

 

"We don't know..." Clint shook his head. "Let's just... Let's just get him back to the Tower. And return the quinjet..."

 

-[]-

 

"How is Young Sir? His vital signs are normal and he seems to have no injury, but your serotonin levels indicate-"

 

"He's not waking up," Tony mumbled. He laid his kid on the couch and bundled him up in a bunch of blankets. "We don't have any idea why."

 

Thor got close once more, but as he went to stroke Loki's hair, he reeled back with a shocked expression.

 

"The spell! Whichever spell is keeping my brother as a child, it is falling apart-"

 

"How can you tell? I thought Loki had the magic!" Steve panicked. "Will he be okay?!"

 

"Yes, but.... It can't hold him back any longer.... Something has caused the spell to shatter. I may not have any skill like Loki, but I have spent my life around enough magic to feel the beginning and ending of spells..."

 

-[]-

 

The night passed, and morning light streamed through the windows. Tony blearily looked up from his spot beside the couch. His knees protested him resting on them during the night. His fingers clenched slightly, reminding him that he was still holding Loki's hand.

 

"Loki..." Tony mumbled worriedly. He played with the child's hair.

 

He felt like a failure. He let his kid get captured and now, who  _knows_  when he would wake up...?! He knew he wasn't the best parent-type, but... But he never thought he could mess up so horri-

 

Loki jolted upright with a gasp. Tony screamed and jumped backwards. The others rushed into the room.

 

Loki was mumbling, and no one could understand him.

 

"Loki, honey," Natasha tried carefully, approaching slowly. "Are you-"

 

A brilliant white light filled the room.

 

When they could finally see again, the Avengers look up to see a very adult Loki. The man looked at his hands, then up at them, slowly and confusedly. His eyes widened and he scrambled backwards. Unfortunately, he scuttled right into the wall and collapsed to his knees.

 

"Loki?" Steve ventured and stepped forward.

 

The sorcerer whimpered, lower lip trembling, and his eyes flooded with tears. He hiccuped loudly and seemed to shake himself apart.

 

"I-I-I want m-my  _daddy_!" He wailed.

 

Maybe not so adult after all...

 

"I'm right here," Tony shushed. He tried to wrap his arms around the man's shoulders, but Loki was actually larger than him now. "Hey, it's, um, it's okay."

 

"So full!" Loki cried. He gripped at his hair, tugging sharply. "I- there's so many- it's..."

 

"Kid, you're okay. Everything's... fine?" Tony tried. The other Avengers stood around awkwardly, unsure what to do.

 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Loki sobbed.

 

"Hey, look, kiddo, we went over this," Tony soothed. "You have nothing to apologize fo-"

 

"I cast the spell on myself!" Loki admitted. "I-I turned myself into a child!"

 

"Oh...." Tony bit his lip. What was he supposed to say...?

 

"I knew you would never listen to me, and I was just so tired, and and, I couldn't do it anymore, so I found the old spell book and cast the spell and sent myself here so you would finally understand! Bu-But you treated me so nicely and took care of me and now... now you're like my father! And I just... just..." Loki slumped forward, burying his face in his hands.

 

"It's alright," Clint muttered. Everyone turned to look at him. "We forgive you."

 

Loki looked up with such a shocked expression that Tony's eyes flooded with tears of his own.

 

"What?" He sniffled. "Did you think this was a one-sided thing? Of course we forgive you! You're- You're still my kid, and-"

 

Loki lurched forward, wrapping the man in a tearful hug.

 

Natasha stepped forward next, wrapping his arms around her little boy. Steve and Bruce quietly followed. Clint eventually found himself there too, and Thor wrapped his arms around all of them and lifted them into the air with a hearty laugh.

 

"Come, my friends! This calls for a celebration!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some hand-wavey magical writing, right there, but I hope it made sense and was interesting!
> 
> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Have you ever traveled to a foreign country? Where did you go? What did you think?


	21. Epilogue

"Look, you don't have to decide anything right now, and we don't want to pressure you into anything  _you_  don't want, but-" Tony took a deep breath and quickly stepped forward again. He paced for a few circuits. "-but I still... you're still my  _kid_. And I-I care about you..." He shuddered. "A  _lot_. I'm very emotionally invested, you see, which isn't a very common thing so you should feel very special, really-"

 

" _Tony_ ," Pepper stressed the name fondly. She shook her head; soft, strawberry-blonde locks shifted like water over her shoulders.

 

"Right, right, no chattering. But really, Pep, chattering is what I do best-" The man cut himself off. He took another fortifying breath. "I just-  _We_  just think it might be best, for  _everyone_ , if you... continued living in the tower."

 

"Ah," Loki nodded. A charming smile came to his lips, and Tony could cry for the complete lack of similarities between him and his younger self. "Did your Man of Fury give you this request, or did you master such a thing as this yourself?"

 

"Loki," Tony's face crumpled slightly, and the god's face went suddenly blank. "I would never take orders from Nicky bear. And I.... I can't  _go back_  to the way things were... I know, now that you're an adult again you think we have to be enemies and fight in the streets but- Loki, that's  _not_  what forgiveness  _means_. We're not just going to kick you out on your as-"

 

" _Tony_ ," Pepper intoned.

 

"He's not  _seven_  anymore, Pep!" The billionaire protested. He rolled his eyes at her heated glared. "Ugh.  _Fine_. We're not just going to kick you out on your... butt all alone! We're... We're family now... Doesn't that.... Doesn't it  _mean_ anything?"

 

"I've had so-called ' _family_ ' before, Stark," Loki scowled. "Don't think you can-"

 

"Don't you do this," Tony snapped. "Don't try and act like you don't want this. Three days ago you were a child, and you were with us everyday for over a year. We were your family, and you could depend on us more than anyone else. Being an adult doesn't  _change_  any of that." The brunette huffed and resumed pacing. "Look, we don't want you here out of some- some twisted revenge, or to keep an eye on you, or anything like  _that_."

 

"Then what  _do_  you want me for!" Loki growled.

 

"How many times do I gotta say it! You are my kid! My son! I-I... I  _love_  you! I watched your for a  _year_. I read you  _bedtimes stories_  and  _played_  with you and watched you  _grow_. I don't want you out there, all alone again! I've been where you are!" Tony threw his hands up. "And I've messed up before! Big time! But you know what? Somehow, I still ended up here, saving the day and  _helping_  people."

 

Loki turned his face away.

 

"You don't have to be the bad guy anymore," Tony pleaded. Like a switch had been flipped, Loki's eyes flooded with tears. He wiped them away quickly, but the man had already seen. "Look, we forgave you, right? Why on earth- Midgard- whatever- would we kick you out? We  _want_  you here. We all do. Even  _Clint_. We want to keep you close, because you're already close and we don't want you to  _leave_."

 

Loki buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking.

 

"I can't  _stay_ ," he declared, voice cracking and hitching. "My  _children_ \- I-I... I made a  _deal_ \- I  _have_  to- I need..."

 

"Look, whatever it is," Tony knelt in front of him, carefully taking Loki's hands in his. "We can work it out." Loki shook his head, but Tony nodded. "You  _don't_  have to do this by yourself. We can  _help_  you. We can't do everything for you, you're an adult now,  _c'mon_.  _But_! We'll always be here for you. We're always gonna help you. And, your kids, which apparently makes me a grandpa now- I feel old- We're gonna help them too. But you have to  _let_  us."

 

The room was silent for a moment.

 

Sunlight filtered in through the windows, shining across Tony's equipment and tools. Large, fluffy clouds drifted over the New York skyline. Pedestrians walked by Avengers Tower on the sidewalk, peacefully going about their daily lives.

 

Cars honked, hot dogs were sold, kids played in Central Park. An angry man on a screen yelled out over the city about a 'menace to their society'. A friendly neighborhood spider swung through the urban jungle.

 

"I'll stay," Loki finally committed. He slowly brought his eyes up to Tony's. "And I'm... I'm willing to try, if you are. But it will not be easy, Star- Anthony. There is someone of  _great_  power after me, about the deal I made. I cannot face him alone, and with him in my way, I will never be able to aid my children."

 

"We'll save your kids, Loki," Tony promised. "And we'll kick that guys as-"

 

" _Tony_ ," Loki smirked. The billionaire cuffed him upside the head.

 

"We'll get everything worked out," the brunette said instead. His honeyed brown eyes shown with sincerity and integrity.

 

Loki inclined his head.

 

"I do not doubt it."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I wrote this a long time ago, and I'm aware of it's flaws. But I'm still really proud of it as one of the longest multi-chapter fics I finished. It's very different from what I write now, but I hope you still found it enjoyable!
> 
> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: What did you think? Please share your thoughts with me and let me know if my old writing was still fun and interesting to you!
> 
> Well! That's all I'm going to upload for tonight. If you liked what you saw, please check back in on me in the future, because I'll definitely have posted some of my other fanfics!

**Author's Note:**

> QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: Before you turn to the next chapter, how old you do you think Loki is going to be?


End file.
